Lauren Warner

M.A. in Russian, Bryn Mawr College (Pennsylvania, U.S.A.)

B.A. in Russian, German, and History, Oakland University (Michigan, U.S.A.)

"How did you get here?!?" is the question that I, as an American, am most often asked. I arrived in London from Detroit, my hometown, by way of Philadelphia, Odessa, New York City, Washington, D.C., Frankfurt and Moscow. It just goes to show that Allen & Overy really does believe in recruiting a broad range of diverse candidates.

After obtaining some work experience, I enrolled in the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) course at Nottingham Law School to "convert" my non-law degree. Then I was ready for the A&O bespoke Legal Practice Course (LPC) at the College of Law Moorgate in London. Meeting the majority of my intake whilst on the LPC meant that on my first day at A&O there were lots of familiar faces!

My first seat was in Projects, which is an area of Banking. During the course of six months, I worked on several major international deals for projects in Saudi Arabia, Croatia, Bahrain, Jordan and the U.S. I was invited to the deal closing in Croatia and I was meant to go to the one in Saudi Arabia, but the deal did not close before I left the department. That’s not unusual, as the deals in Projects are generally considered in terms of years, rather than weeks or months. One associate worked as a trainee on a deal when it first began and is now in the process of closing it as an associate!

I am currently in General Securities, which is a department in International Capital Markets. It is a real change of pace, as the duration of deals is much shorter. I have already had the opportunity to produce the first drafts of many different documents, including a legal opinion, a subscription agreement and an agency agreement. Don’t worry, you’ll first learn about these documents on the LPC! That’s another advantage of doing the A&O LPC: you get introduced to A&O’s documents and some of the ways things are done before you start your training contract.

Overall, you are given as much responsibility as you can handle - but not without the support you need. A&O is famous for having a top-quality training program - arguably the best around. Also, the people are really friendly and want you to succeed; they are happy to answer any questions you may have.

There is always something to do by way of social events and sports, both formally and informally. Each intake has representatives on the A&O trainee social committee, which organises various events for trainees. Also, there are departmental events, such as balls, ski trips and drinks, just to name a few examples. If you like sports, A&O has all kinds of teams (I’m looking forward to joining the softball one this summer!), not to mention a convenient in-house gym.

Many people at A&O are involved with pro bono projects and such involvement is taken seriously. I conduct research for Interights, the International Centre for the Legal Protection of Human Rights, and I am part of the management team for this year’s Artbeat initiative, which culminates in a student art exhibition at A&O’s offices in February.

Deciding to accept my offer at A&O was the easiest decision I ever have had to make. It is an international firm with a worldwide reputation for excellence, the people are engaging and I have already learned a lot in the 7 months I’ve been here so far. Having lived and worked in various different countries prior to starting my training contract, I can tell you that working at A&O doesn’t fail to deliver!