About Allen & Overy

Diversity and inclusion at Allen & Overy is a business imperative in order for us to be a successful practice in today’s competitive global market. Our objective is to attract and retain the most talented people, and to benefit from the varied talents of a diverse workforce. To do this, we aim to provide rewarding careers and a supportive working environment, allowing all our people to maximise their potential and fulfil their ambitions.

Our approach to diversity means we recognise ways in which we differ – in terms of visible differences such as age, gender, ethnicity, disability and physical appearance, as well as underlying differences such as religion, nationality and education.
In our approach we have three objectives to achieve our vision. To:

• broaden access to the firm and the legal profession as a whole;
• create a culture of inclusion and respect; and
• monitor our progress.

We work continuously to broaden access to Allen & Overy and to the legal profession as a whole. Our aims are to:
• widen the talent pool from which we select the brightest and best graduates;
• give talented individuals the opportunity and aspiration for a career in law; and
• have a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities in which we operate.

To achieve these aims:

• in the recruitment year 2006/2007 we accepted applications from 274 different universities worldwide. Of these, 133 (49%) were from UK and Irish universities;
• in 2007, our total trainee population attended 40 different universities between them;
• our current trainee intake gender split is: 59% female and 41% male;
• 24% of our current trainee intake are from an ethnic minority background;
• in 2007/2008 we will be visiting 40 universities;
• we participate in Legal Chances and Pure Potential: events which aim to encourage students from ethnic minorities and socially disadvantaged communities to consider a career in law; and
• we are a founder sponsor of the Sutton Trust Pathways to Law programme, a charity which aims to increase the educational opportunities which can lead to a career in law for young people from non-privileged backgrounds.

On a firm-wide basis, we have also been involved with and set up the following initiatives:

• In March 2007 we ran our first Diversity Week at A&O in London, to encourage people to think about what diversity and inclusion means at A&O and to raise awareness in an informative and entertaining way. Hundreds of our staff (and some of our clients) attended the events run by experts on a wide range of topics.
• In April 2007 we were the only law firm to participate in the first London LGBT job fair, sponsored by the Independent.
• We have an active LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) forum group for our staff, which formed in early 2007. This group is consulted on a variety of issues and has had several meetings and social events, some with LGBT networks from client organisations.

To ensure we are up-to-date with and support Diversity and Inclusion best practice, A&O in London is a member or sponsor of the following organisations: Aurora (gender), DisabledGo, Blind in Business, Black Lawyers Directory, Employers’ Forum on Age, Employers’ Forum on Disability, Stonewall (gay, lesbian and bisexual), and Working Families (flexible working and family friendly).

Contact
Allen & Overy LLP
One Bishops Square
London
E1 6AO

T: 020 3088 0000

E: graduate.recruitment@allenovery.com
W: www.allenovery.com/careeruk