Allen & Overy United Kingdom

Choosing the right career is a big decision. There are lots of questions you need to ask yourself. What type of law do I want to practise? What type of firm would suit me best? What will the work really be like? The best way to answer these questions is to get first-hand experience of life in a law firm and this is exactly what our vacation programmes and open days offer.

Each year we recruit approximately 65 vacation students across our winter and summer programmes. Our winter programme is for final year undergraduates and graduates. Our summer programmes are for penultimate year undergraduates (or those at the end of the second year of a four-year course if the third year is spent abroad), from all degree disciplines.

During your placement you will assist a partner or associate on real deals. You will sit in two departments (one during the shorter winter programme) and we will ask you in advance what area most interests you. You will also work with fellow vacation students on a case study project designed to sharpen your research skills and expose you to our broad range of practice areas.

Alongside your legal work you will take part in workshops and attend presentations and talks aimed at informing you about our work and helping you to develop the skills you need to be a successful commercial lawyer such as negotiation, presentation and interview skills. There will also be plenty of time to socialise with other Allen & Overy people during your placement. Vacation students are paid £250.00 per week.

Summer vacation students are also eligible to apply for our international internship opportunities which enable 12 students to work in four of our key overseas offices following their placement in London. Students interested in applying for international internships can only apply if they accept a place on one of the London placements.

Vacation placement deadlines:

For winter, please apply from 1 October - 31 October 2010, for interviews in November 2010.

For summer, please apply from 1 November 2010 - 16 January 2011, for interviews in January and February 2011.

We offer a training contract characterised by flexibility and choice. Indeed our training programme is widely regarded as the best in the City and continues throughout your career at Allen & Overy. Our aim is to recruit, train and develop successful lawyers who want to develop a long-term career with Allen & Overy.

All our future trainees take the Allen & Overy-specific LPC at The College of Law in London. The course has been specially designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to be a successful solicitor, and is set in the context of the type of transactions Allen & Overy lawyers are involved in. The modules you take will focus on our core practice areas, to ensure your time at law school is the best possible preparation for your training contract with Allen & Overy. It will provide you with a sound technical and theoretical background for your career with us. The Allen & Overy LPC also means that you will develop strong bonds with your new colleagues and build friendships from day one.

You will have a tailored training contract, designed to give you the best start to your career. Given the strength of our international finance practice, we require our trainees to spend a minimum of 12 months in at least two of the following departments: banking, corporate and international capital markets. There is also the opportunity for trainees to spend three or six months of their training contract in one of our international offices or on a client secondment. Trainees will typically complete a secondment in their final seat.

Our current starting salary for trainee solicitors is £38,000, rising to £43,200 in the second year of training and £61,000 on qualification.

We offer 105 training contracts each year.

 

Applications for non-law finalists and non-law graduates open on 1 November 2010 - 16 January 2011, for interviews in January and February.  Applications for law students and law graduates open on 1st June 2011.

A quick way to get a feel for the type of work we do at Allen & Overy, and the way we do it, is to come in and spend time with us on an open day.
 
Our open days provide an in-depth insight into the real work of an international legal practice, our working environment and the career opportunities available with us.  We offer a number of open days throughout the year which are open to penultimate and final year undergraduates and graduates.  We also run two open days over the summer just for first year undergraduates, allowing keen individuals to gain some experience at an earlier stage.

By attending an open day, you will get the opportunity to meet, listen to and, perhaps more importantly, question a number of our partners, associates and trainees who work in a variety of departments.  The day's programme includes talks and workshops which provide details about our practice areas and clients, our training contract, and the skills you will need to develop if you are to become a successful commercial lawyer.  You will also spend part of the day work shadowing a trainee in one of our departments, allowing you to see what the role really entails.

For further information on our open days and when they are available, please check our website.