We offer a truly flexible training contract, and the most interesting work in a unique culture of support and mutual respect.  The seat structure ensures that you get to see as many parts of the practice as possible and that your learning is hands-on, guided closely by an experienced associate or partner.

You will have a tailored training contract, designed to give you the best start to your career.  A series of evening presentations by departments facilitates your choice of a priority seat and other areas you may like to experience. Most seats are for six months, with some three-month seats available. Given the strength of our international finance practice, we require our trainees to spend a minimum of 12 months in our core areas of Banking, Corporate and International Capital Markets, with a contentious seat in either Dispute Resolution or Employment.  International seats and client secondments are also on offer - over half of our current trainees spend three or six months of their second year of training in one of our international offices.

Vacation Placements

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 placements and open days offer.

During your placement you will assist a partner or senior associate on real deals. You will sit in two departments (one during the shorter winter and spring programmes) and we will ask you in advance what area most interests you. You will also work with fellow vacation placement 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.

Placements are held in our London office during the winter, spring and summer vacations. Spring and summer placements are for students at the end of their penultimate year of study of their undergraduate degree, or at the end of the second year of a four-year course (if the third year is spent abroad).  Applications are welcomed from both law and non-law students.  Our winter placements are for final year non-law students or postgraduate students.

What we look for

We expect to see a strong and consistent academic performance both at school level and in your degree studies – typically AAB at A level (or equivalent) and you should have achieved or be predicted at least a 2:1 (or equivalent).  At Allen & Overy you will be working in a team where you will use your initiative and manage your own time and workload, so we also look for evidence of teamwork, leadership and problem-solving skills.

How to apply

Training Contracts

We recruit 120 trainee solicitors each year across two intakes (March and September).  Applications are welcome from law and non-law graduates.  Our current starting salary for trainee solicitors is £37,000, rising to £41,100 in the second year of training. 

From 1 October 2008 – 16 January 2009 we will be accepting applications for our September 2011 and March 2012, for non-law finalists and graduates wishing to apply for these start dates. Penultimate year undergraduates should apply from 1 June - 31 July 2009 following reciept of penultimate year exam results (if applicable)

Vacation Placements

We recruit approximately 100 vacation students across the year. Vacation students are paid £250.00 per week.

We will be accepting applications for our winter from 1 October 2008 – 16 January 2009 (31 October is the deadline for winter).

For details of all our vacancies and a link to our online application form, and a chance to read more of our Employee Profiles and Blogs, visit www.allenovery.com/careeruk