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It's time to launch your legal career
We believe in investing in talented and ambitious people. With our Solicitor Apprenticeship programme, we are giving you the opportunity to gain the qualifications and experience to thrive in a leading law firm, while earning a salary of £25,000 in the first year of your apprenticeship (increasing every year). On this page, you can learn about the benefits of the programme, discover what we are looking for in a suitable applicant and find out how you can apply.
Programme Overview
Over six years, you will immerse yourself in the world of law, with your time divided between working with Allen & Overy colleagues and focused study time.
Four days of each week will be spent working in practice groups on projects, deals and cases for clients. Throughout the programme you will move between teams and departments within the firm to gain a valuable insight to all the services we provide. This includes our Banking, Corporate, International Capital Markets and Litigation Departments. You will also spend time in the Allen & Overy tech innovation hub, Fuse, as well as the Markets Innovation Group, Legal Tech, eDiscovery and Project Management teams.
One day per week will be spent studying with our training provider, BPP University, where you will work towards an LLB (Hons) Law and Legal Practice and a Solicitor Level 7 Apprenticeship. We will cover your entire tuition fee and you will also earn a salary during your training.
Working here
Rotating through our practice groups, you will discover the full breadth of our offering to clients, and learn how we are constantly innovating and evolving our approach to law. A key benefit of developing this way is that you will simultaneously be advancing your technical knowledge, developing critical experience of the legal world, but also gaining the soft skills and attributes that will serve you well throughout your career in law. You will have the opportunity to discover, first-hand the challenges you will face as a lawyer, while also having the resources and support to overcome them as they arise.
Another great benefit is the ability to immerse yourself in our culture while you study and grow. We are committed to providing a culture that drives inclusion. Every day, we are working hard to create an environment where everyone feels that they can bring their authentic selves to work. To be comfortable and confident to be who they are in the workplace. To feel like they belong. To be All In. As you work with different teams across our practice groups, you will build a valuable and reliable network of talented colleagues who will always make you feel welcome and supported.
Training
You will receive training not only from BPP University, but also first class training from Allen & Overy. You will have the chance to apply what you learn to live matters, deals and projects, so by the time you take your exams, you will already have years of real-life experience of working at the firm.
Progression
The knowledge and experience you gain from your apprenticeship will inform your choices of where you take your career. By exploring many areas of our practice, you will discover brand new career options and be able to tailor your path to achieve your ambitions.
Support
Wherever your work takes you at Allen & Overy, you will never be far from the full backing and support of someone who can help. That could be your mentor, who will guide you through every challenge, in your live projects as well as your studies, or from lawyers or support staff you work alongside day-to-day, or our dedicated HR team. There will be other apprentices completing the programme alongside you, as you advance together, the relationships you build will be invaluable. Your colleagues at the firm will do everything they can to help you succeed, and the only limitation is how many questions you ask and which opportunities you take.
Qualifiacations
Allen & Overy, with over 40 offices around the world, is one of the largest global law firms to offer a fully funded Solicitor Level 7 Apprenticeship programme. Upon completion of your training and exams, you will have also earned an LLB (Hons) Law and Legal Practice from BPP University.
Benefits
As well as financial rewards, working at Allen & Overy offers an exceptional range of benefits including insurance (life, group income protection and private medical), pension scheme, an interest-free season ticket loan, access to wellbeing apps (such as Unmind and Headspace) as well as a range of on-site facilities including a gym and sports hall, medical, dental and physiotherapy services, a beauty treatment centre, dry cleaners, and two restaurants.
Application Process
Online application
You will be required to submit an online application which details your education history and any work experience you may have undertaken. This does not need to be legal experience. There will also be one short question to complete, where we will be looking at your motivations for joining our solicitor apprenticeship programme.
You will then be prompted to complete an online immersive assessment which will test your adaptability, digital intelligence, applied intellect and creativity. The assessment should only take 30 minutes to complete and there will be practice questions available. You will be given 48 hours in which to complete the test. We therefore advise you submit your online application at least 48 hours prior to the deadline to give you time to complete both the online application and online assessment in time.
Insight day
If you are successful, you will pass through to the next stage which will be an Insight day. This is an opportunity for you to experience the type of work you will be exposed to as a solicitor apprentice, in addition to this you will meet a range of people from the business and have first-hand experience of Allen & Overy’s culture.
Interviews
Following on from the Insight day, we will be inviting candidates to attend our assessment day, which will comprise of two one-on-one interviews.
The first interview will be case study. You will be asked to review some documents. This will be followed by a discussion on the key points from the case study. Ahead of the assessment day, we will be sending out a briefing video to help you prepare for the day.
In the second interview you will be asked a series of questions based on scenarios you may encounter as an apprentice.
We are assessing your potential on the day and don’t expect you know all of the answers. Our assessors will explore the topics with you and will guide you through the two assessments.
Offer
After your interview, we will review your performance across both interviews and aim to get back to you with a decision as quickly as possible.
Regardless of the outcome, we are committed to providing constructive feedback on your interview performance.
Eligibility
A-levels - minimum AAB or equivalent. 7 GCSEs at grade 6 or above (including Maths and English)
Salary
£25,000 per year. Salary increases annually. Sign-on bonus of £1,500 to assist with starting work costs.
Application window
20 December 2021 - 20 February 2022
