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Experience a career without limits.
We know it isn’t always easy to find a place where you belong – a place that cares just as much about who you are as what you do. But join Allen & Overy’s tightly connected international community and you’ll discover a friendly, dynamic and fun culture in which to begin an exciting and fulfilling legal career. Throughout the two years of your Training Contract, we will work closely with you to ensure you have the support, challenge and structure to reach your full potential and become a successful commercial solicitor.
Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE)
The route to qualification as a solicitor in England and Wales is changing. The SQE is a new compulsory assessment which takes effect from 1 September 2021 and ultimately replaces the current route to qualification. Trainees joining Allen & Overy from September 2024 onwards will train via the SQE route. Please see below for further information about our SQE transition plans. Further information about the SQE is available on the SRA website.
What will you do?
Our training programme is meticulously designed and continually evolving to provide the foundations you need to find your strengths, overcome challenges and bring out your best self.
Your training will be based on four six-month rotations (known as ‘seats’), through a number of departments or practice areas. Seats are available across our practice areas and will help you to discover the full range of work we do and the expertise we have in our teams. In each seat, you will sit with a partner or an associate who will supervise your professional and personal development, showing you how to excel as a successful commercial lawyer.
Our dedicated HR for Trainees team will work with you to determine your seat choices. You will have the opportunity to express your preferences, so you can spend time in the areas that suit you best (subject to business need). Our core transactional areas of expertise are Banking, Corporate (which includes our Pensions team) and International Capital Markets; as a trainee, you can expect to spend at least two seats of your Training Contract gaining experience in these areas. You will also explore the possibility of spending a seat on an international or client secondment, which will give you the chance to grow and strengthen your network.
You’ll also gain contentious experience, either by spending a seat in our Litigation department (including Employment, Intellectual Property, Litigation & Investigations and Arbitration) or, for those who do not sit in a Litigation seat, by completing a Litigation course and obtaining contentious experience via legal advice clinics. The Litigation course is run by Nottingham Law School and consists of five days’ tuition; regular visits to a legal advice centre take place throughout the Training Contract, to help you gain practical contentious experience and provide valuable pro bono help.
Eligibility
We’re able to welcome final- or penultimate-year students or graduates from all universities with any degree.
Application window
12 September 2022 - 16 December 2022
Training and support
One of the things our trainees value most about being at Allen & Overy is the award-winning training they receive. Your development is one of our key priorities and you’ll see that every day you are with us. In each seat, you will sit with a partner or associate who will provide you with support and guidance and you will immediately take an active and practical role in the department’s work, with plenty of individual responsibility along the way. You can expect to take on real responsibility, with tailored support, whilst also enjoying a wider support network of fellow trainees to swap learnings and share the experience with.
In addition to learning practical skills such as drafting, transaction management, research and legal and office procedures, the experience you gain as a trainee will develop your professional conduct, particularly with respect to negotiation and communication with clients and colleagues.
Alongside your departmental work, you will have the opportunity to work side-by-side and learn from some of the world’s top lawyers. As well as regular departmental training and updates (specific to your seat), you can attend client seminars delivered by our partners and associates on the most cutting-edge issues affecting our industry. You will also attend wider skills training and a range of seminars and talks on matters essential to Allen & Overy, which include mental health and wellbeing and diversity and inclusion.
Training does not stop at qualification. We are proud of our position as pioneers in the legal industry and our commitment to continuous learning is a key part in maintaining it. At key points during your associate career, you will become eligible to attend the different stages of our bespoke global associate development programme, where you will be joined by colleagues from around the world. These sessions are run by internal and external experts, focusing on developing your strategic and commercial awareness and your ability to work effectively and with resilience. As you progress, the focus on managing client relationships and building a practice increases.
