Freshfields to pay trainees £20k to study AI, crypto and cyber law before joining firm

Freshfields will sponsor future trainees to study tech law at KCL—plus a £20k living grant

Future trainees at Freshfields are set to receive a game-changing head start. The Magic Circle giant has unveiled a new partnership with King’s College London (KCL), offering incoming rookies a fully funded Master of Laws (LLM) focused on law and technology—complete with a £20,000 maintenance grant.

The LLM, designed and delivered by KCL’s prestigious Dickson Poon School of Law, will allow Freshfields trainees to deep dive into topics like artificial intelligence, blockchain, digital media, cyberspace law, and environmental tech. Typically, the programme would cost upwards of £20,000 for UK students, and over £35,000 for international students. But under this new scheme, those costs vanish entirely.

It’s a first-of-its-kind move from a major law firm—and one that signals a sharp pivot towards future-proofing talent. Freshfields says the initiative will “turbocharge” the personal and professional development of its trainees, while ensuring the firm remains at the forefront of the ever-evolving intersection of law and technology.

Mark Sansom, Freshfields’ managing partner for London and Dublin, called the collaboration a milestone. “As technology and innovation continue to shape the legal industry, our firm is meeting that opportunity head on,” he said. “This allows our trainees to develop valuable skills, turbocharge their growth, and align with our strategic direction as a global firm.”

The lucky few will not only gain an elite legal education but also benefit financially. In addition to having their LLM tuition fully covered, trainees will receive £20,000 to support their living costs during the course—nearly double what many students receive in traditional support packages.

After completing the programme, trainees will begin their legal careers at Freshfields with first-year salaries of at least £56,000, increasing to £61,000 in their second year.

KCL’s Professor Dan Hunter, executive dean of the Dickson Poon School of Law, hailed the partnership as a bold step for legal academia. “Trainees undertaking the LLM will become part of the global legal community of one of the world’s finest law schools,” he said. “They will benefit from our academic expertise in artificial intelligence and digital law.”

Electives on the programme are expected to cover a wide range of contemporary legal issues: cryptocurrencies, cyber regulation, energy transitions, and green technology, among others. Alongside their academic studies, participants will also gain access to Freshfields’ in-house innovation team and its dedicated research hub, the Freshfields Lab.

The programme will begin this September, with members of the August 2025 trainee intake spearheading the inaugural cohort. Eligible participants include those joining the firm in February 2026, August 2026, and February 2027.

The initiative is part of Freshfields’ wider strategy to invest in legal innovation and prepare its incoming lawyers to meet the complex demands of global clients. The firm has made clear it sees future-facing education as central to its recruitment and training model.

With fierce competition in the legal graduate market, this announcement sends a strong signal to aspiring lawyers: tech-savvy is no longer optional—it’s essential. And for Freshfields trainees, the message is even clearer: the future comes with funding.