A&O Shearman is a new global industry-leading law firm, with nearly 50 offices in 29 countries worldwide. Our fluency in English law, US law, and the laws of the worlds most dynamic markets, enables us to provide unmatched insight and seamless delivery to clients. We work on challenging and important deals and disputes that have the potential to shape the future.
We offer exceptional opportunities for our people; opportunities to work for the worlds leading businesses; to transform the status quo, and to deliver your best work, helping you and your career to thrive, while delivering unparalleled outcomes for our clients.
Whether you're helping clients solve complex challenges, transforming the ways we manage our business, or ensuring the smooth-running of our operations, this is an environment where you can belong and excel. We provide first-rate training and development, we are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and we provide support and ways of working that help you optimise your wellbeing.
What truly defines a career with us? We recruit the best and ask for the best of you. And together, we will redefine success.
Application Process
The online application form is your first opportunity to show us what youre capable of, so be sure to pay attention to detail and think about the examples you use and whether they demonstrate the skills and attributes we are looking for.
You will then be prompted to complete an immersive, video-based Situational Judgement Test (SJT) which includes verbal and numerical reasoning items. The test is untimed and should take around 30-40 minutes. The SJT is designed to provide a realistic preview of what you may experience as a trainee at A&O Shearman.
You can read our preparation tips to Situational Judgement Tests or take a practice test.
If your application is successful, the next stage will be a video interview, which shouldnt take longer than 30 minutes and will include a brief commercial case study. We will then be in touch after this interview, to let you know if youve secured a place on the scheme.
Please note that you can only make one application per recruitment cycle.
Programme Overview
At A&O Shearman, we recognise that Black talent has been historically underrepresented in the legal sector, and were committed to changing this narrative, breaking down barriers and levelling the playing field, for everyone. Thats what led us to create the Black Student Lawyer Programme.
This one-week programme is designed to provide you with mentorship and work shadowing opportunities across our practice areas, so you can find out what its really like to work at A&O Shearman, to learn and develop at your highest level. With a focus on employability, we aim to provide students with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to get started and thrive in the legal industry.
Benefits
- Gain hands on experience in an industry-leading law firm
- Develop practical skills and knowledge
- Receive mentorship from experienced legal professionals and guidance from the Early careers recruitment team
- Attend networking sessions with our affinity group, BLAG (Black Lawyers Affinity Group)
- Fast-track to interview for the Summer Vacation Scheme 2026
Education
Requirements
- Students in their first year of a three-year (or second year of a four-year) undergraduate degree from any degree discipline
- Minimum grades of AAB (136 UCAS points) or equivalent at A-Level, and on-track for/achieved a 2:1 undergraduate degree. We also require 7 GCSEs at grade 6 or above (including Maths and English). Mitigating circumstances will be taken into account
Skills
To set yourself apart from the competition and to succeed in our high-performing firm, youll need to be:
- Curious
- A problem-solver
- Collaborative
- Driven
More information on the attributes we look for can be found on our Law Career Guide.
Applications will open 6 January 2025 and close on 17 March 2025.
Please note that candidates can only submit one application per recruitment cycle.
The Scheme will take place in June 2025, so make sure you can attend should your application be successful.
Be advised we
DO NOT recruit on a rolling basis. All applications will be reviewed after the deadline, and you should expect to hear from us after the deadline has passed.
DE&I at A&O Shearman
Diversity, equity and inclusion is a priority for us. We embrace diversity. Its our diverse team sharing their varied experiences and ideas that allow us to be industry leaders. So, we pride ourselves on being an equal opportunities employer and never discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, or disability. Whoever you are, you can belong here.
