IT ISN’T hard to see why so many graduates aspire to join a top law firm. With salaries for newly-qualified lawyers currently around the £50,000 mark, the promise of an absorbing long-term career and the constant demand for new trainees, it’s a very tempting proposition for university-leavers.

It’s no surprise, then, to find that there are more international law firms listed in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers than any other type of organisation. Most of these 11 firms have their UK operations firmly rooted within London’s “square mile”, but one firm boasts a rather broader network.

In addition to its large London base, Eversheds has major offices in Cardiff, Birmingham, Leeds, Norwich, Nottingham, Manchester and Newcastle, with smaller outposts in Ipswich and Cambridge.

Each of these offices recruits trainee solicitors, which is great news for the increasing numbers of law graduates who aren’t keen to work in London. Last year more than a third of law finalists said that they would rather work in a regional office than take a job in the capital.

Eversheds puts considerable emphasis on its unstuffy, people-focused approach to business and this is evident in its approach to recruitment too. Unlike many of the leading law firms which limit their graduate promotions to a dozen or so top universities and are still closely associated with Oxbridge, Eversheds invests in an extensive programme of campus presentations, fairs, seminars, workshops and training sessions at no fewer than 30 UK universities.

Like most firms of lawyers, Eversheds recruits its trainees more than two years in advance and the competition for training contracts is intense. So if you’re studying law and are in your penultimate year or if you’re a non-lawyer in your final year at university, you need to act quickly.

Applications for Easter or summer work experience placements at the firm close at the end of the month.

What does it do? Eversheds is an international firm of lawyers that employs more than 3,500 staff at offices across the UK. It was named Law Firm of the Year by Legal Business magazine in 2004.

What does it employ graduates for? There will be about 80 vacancies for trainee lawyers to take up training contracts in September 2007.

Where are the graduate jobs? There are positions available in the Midlands, the North of England, Yorkshire, East Anglia, Wales and London.

What is the company paying now? Salaries vary regionally, but first-year trainees in London can expect £28,000.

What’s the competition like? Top law firms typically receive between 25 and 50 applications per trainee vacancy.

The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers, editied by Martin Birchall, is based on research with more than 15,000 final year university students. Order the 2004 edition from Times Books First for only £11.99 (RRP £14.99). Call 0870 1608080 or visit www.timesonline.co.uk/booksfirstbuy

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