Culture

• "There are lots of social events organised. Team events are good and senior colleagues will do all they can to make sure you can attend even if you have work commitments. Participation in all extra-curricular activities is encouraged (grad recruitment/pro bono/sports etc.), but I often find myself having to back out at the last minute due to urgent work as my days are very busy." -- First year trainee
• "As a trainee, you sit with a trainer; normally a senior associate or a partner. They are your first point of call for work, and you will often be heavily involved in whichever deals they are involved in. However, if your work schedule is quiet you will go and ask other associates for work, which often provides good exposure to different deals. Trainees are very supportive of one another, and we will often send emails to the trainee intake requesting support or capacity on certain matters. We often use the linguistic skills of the trainee intake to help out with foreign documents. We all socialise together, which is a major bonus. Having an on-site bar makes it very easy for us to all get together at the end of the day. There are also lots of sporting outlets to get trainees involved – the A&O Rugby Club Dinner is infamous." -- First year trainee 

  "The firm has an open-minded and innovative culture. Colleagues are willing to support each other in every respect and the staff, on the whole, are extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Most trainees are supportive, but some are just looking to get ahead, dump their un-interesting work on someone else and take the better tasks. Trainees do socialise together, but largely in cliques rather than all at once (it's a big intake!). The trainee intake (and workforce generally) is not very diverse or sensitive to diversity – this can make things uncomfortable for those few of a different class/race/sexual orientation or gender identity, but (unfortunately) I do not believe that this is worse here than at any other City firm, and is most probably slightly better." -- First year trainee

  "Trainees have an active social life. We tend to congregate in the bar after work on a Friday and there are plenty of socials. On a more daily level, we catch up for coffee and there is always a large group of trainees to sit with at lunch time. We also support each other by sharing know-how and helping out with each other's work loads when appropriate. There is also a liaison committee where views can be aired with HR and the training supervisor." -- First year trainee 

  "Most people around the firm are very friendly and helpful. Trainees support one another and do tend to socialise a lot together, as we all do the LPC together we all know each other well before we start. There isn't any competitiveness or fighting for the best work between trainees that I've heard horror stories about from other firms." -- First year trainee

  "Trainees are incredibly supportive of one another at this firm. Good natured, great fun, down to earth and tolerant of everyone's differences, strengths and weaknesses. I socialise outside of work with some of the trainees and have made a few incredibly close friends out of my trainee intake who I see on a regular basis at weekends. Both departments I have sat in have been lovely. I have had some of the nicest, most entertaining trainers imaginable. I am really impressed by how pleasant people here are." -- First year trainee

  "Great working environment, fantastic atmosphere fostered by partners, great people, simply incredible support staff, stunning offices and facilities, and departments are on the whole very sociable." -- Second year trainee 

  "A&O is a genuinely friendly firm. The working environment can get pressurised, but everyone supports each other and there is always a positive atmosphere and room for a sense of humour. Trainees definitely support each other, eat lunch together and socialise after work, as well as on weekends." -- First year trainee

  "Trainees support each other and there is a firm ethos of socialising outside of the office – although when you are particularly busy this can be hard to achieve!" -- First year trainee

  "Trainees get to know each other on the firm-specific LPC and after that it seems natural to socialise together and be supportive of one another." -- First year trainee

  "Solicitors socialise very well across the department and firm as a whole. At my level, much of the socialising is still intake-based and we have a strong and cohesive unit. Excellent culture and really supportive. I never feel unable to ask questions of people more senior. Trainees and other NQs are also willing to help out as requested. Support staff are very friendly and helpful and make your day a lot easier by marking up documents, booking travel, etc." -- Newly qualified solicitor, Banking

  "There is a clear hierarchy which helps because you always know that there is someone more senior that you can ask for help. I feel extremely supported by other members of the department including junior associates, senior associates and partners." -- Newly qualified solicitor, Capital Markets

  "Good support peer-to-peer, open door policy so can easily ask questions, some opportunities to socialise (though could be better...)." -- Junior solicitor, Litigation

Hours

• "It is inevitable that hours are long at times, but this is very much dictated by business need. Trainees are encouraged to go home as early as they can when possible and you are not expected to stay in the office just to show your face if you have nothing to do. Hours eventually balance out as a busy period will be contrasted by more reasonable hours later in your training contract. Initially, I worked many more hours than I expected, but now I work less than I expected. On average, I work around 50 hours per week." -- First year trainee

  "Around 50-60 hours a week at an average. I expected to work hard and have long hours, so it is no shock. No all-nighters yet though!" -- First year trainee

  "I expected to be working long hours and I am, but this is not forced. I want to make the most out of the opportunity to train at a Magic Circle firm and I try to take on as much work as possible." -- First year trainee

  "Since I work in quite a niche seat, the hours aren't too bad – but I’m consistently leaving after 7, 8 or even 9pm which can get quite tiring." -- First year trainee

  "On average, I work around 45-50 hours per week unless there is a deal closing. This is pretty much what I expected, and there is very little expectation of face time when you are not busy." -- First year trainee 

  "Average working week is 50-60 hours, comprised of billable and non-billable (e.g. know-how, marketing, pitch documents etc.) hours. This is what I expected. Occasionally, there can be 100-hour weeks, but these usually balance out. The key is that you are given responsibility to manage your workload, and as long as you are meeting the deadlines you are given for your work, there is no need to hang around the office trying to look busy. This is actively discouraged. If you have no work, you go home. If you want to go to the gym in the afternoon, you go." -- Second year trainee

  "The hours are long, but this was expected and is honestly not as bad as it sounds. It is actually worse when you are quiet with work, as the time drags. My average week normally consists of working 9:30am - 7:30pm. However, when my deal was closing I had two weeks of 8am - 11pm as standard, along with working on a Sunday. But it was actually pretty enjoyable, and the adrenalin definitely keeps you going!" -- First year trainee

  "48 hours on average per week. The hours are not as bad as the horror stories lead you to believe. Late nights are the exception rather than the norm and are only taken when necessary. This does differ between departments, but trainees should also be wary of thinking that they should stay beyond 6.30pm when they have finished their work. Opportunities to leave at a decent hour should be taken wherever possible as there will be occasions where an early finish is not possible." -- Second year trainee

  "It's quite up and down which is the hardest thing about it – when it's busy and I am working on a transaction which is closing soon it can mean a whole week with very limited sleep (there has only been one particularly horrific week...). On smaller transactions I have been averaging 12-hour days in the week leading up to closing (9am to 9pm generally). Between transactions, however, when there is just post closing stuff to see to I am out the door at 6 o'clock. I don't mind working late and working hard (you've come to the wrong place if you do), but the stop-start nature of the work flow can be frustrating. I think part of that just comes with the territory of being a trainee rather than being firm-specific – you don't really know what's in the pipeline until it lands on your desk. I have found it varies across teams and departments, however, and the minute you are on a deal it becomes easier to manage your own workload and predict what kind of a week you are going to have." -- First year trainee

  "Hours can be long – but this is a global law firm and is at the apex of the legal profession. You should not come into the profession, or this type of firm, without an appreciation of that. Despite that: There is an excellent support mechanism (PA, marketing, finance, document production, etc.) to help you to work efficiently and spend less time in the office. It is possible to work from home and this can be really convenient. No one expects you to stay late if you have no work. You can sell or purchase holidays and can take longer holidays for weddings, etc. After intense periods of busyness you may receive some days off in lieu (practice varies across departments and across partners). In short, when necessary you will be expected to work hard. But everything is done to make sure that you do not need to work harder than is absolutely necessary." -- Newly qualified solicitor, Banking

Pay

• "At times, the hourly rate can be disappointing given the number of hours worked, but it is entirely fair that trainees are paid the same regardless of how many hours they work." -- First year trainee
• "I am pretty satisfied with my compensation. Not only are we paid well, but the added benefits beyond the salary really make an impact. In addition to healthcare and insurance, the subsidised food and subsidised bar probably save me the best part of £50 a week, which quickly adds up. Saving on a gym membership due to the firm having a free gym on site is also an added bonus." -- First year trainee

  "Obviously good for a first job, but increasingly eroded by inflation and pay freezes, and lower than at US firms." -- First year trainee

  "If you take into account how much you get paid per hour you work, it's a bit depressing! But otherwise a good starting salary and in line with other similar firms." -- First year trainee

  "We are very well compensated as trainees – obviously it looks absolutely abysmal when you work it out as an hourly rate in a week where you've billed 100 hours, but the remuneration packages increase quickly after qualification and I think on the whole they are just." -- First year trainee

  "Widening gap between compensation offered by US firms is an issue." -- Second year trainee 

  "We do get paid very well but to do my current hours long term I would want a significant amount more. As per hour we probably average about £12. We do not get paid for overtime or weekends. I would probably be happy with our wage if we got time off in lieu but this is hardly ever given." -- First year trainee

  "£38,000 is not a huge salary in London. I have yet to manage to save anything even though I live quite frugally, and I have yet to see how it can be justified that we earn only around £2,000 pa more than trainees at smaller forms that require less hours to be put in." -- First year trainee

  "It's pretty comparable to most other firms of the same size. Not really better or worse." -- First year trainee

  "When I signed my training contract my salary seemed quite high. However, when you consider the number of hours you have to work, we are not highly paid. I can live very comfortably on my salary in London though, despite my rent being high." -- First year trainee

  "Pay is competitive amongst the Magic Circle and better than all other English law firms. Pay still significantly lags behind American firms. Bonus at my level is a fixed award, based on the firm’s performance – can be up to 10% of your salary." -- Newly qualified solicitor, Banking

  "Fixed bonus up to 2 years PQE." -- Junior solicitor, Litigation

Interviews & Assessments

• "After completing the online application form for my vacation scheme I was invited to interview. The interview was in two parts. Firstly, there was a general interview for 30 minutes to discuss my CV and application. This was followed by a 45-minute discussion on a case study, which tested my business awareness and problem solving abilities. Following the formal interview process, I was given a tour of the office and had a coffee with a trainee." -- First year trainee

  "I did a vac scheme at A&O and therefore had one interview for that. These generally involve an interview with graduate recruitment and an interview with a senior associate or a partner. From the vac scheme, I then stated that I would like to interview for a training contract and had a very short and informal interview with a partner, though the three-week scheme was really one long interview!" -- First year trainee

  "The interview process is very competitive, but it is made as transparent and pleasant as possible for interview candidates. Questions were fair and thought provoking, unlike at some other firms. The interview days were well structured and well planned to put each candidate at ease and give a true picture of the firm." -- First year trainee

  "I had my first interview for the vac scheme which I found really tough. There was an HR interview, and then an interview with a partner/senior associate who asked you questions about a 16-page document you had 45 minutes to read. So quite gruelling. I had my training contract interview on the vacation scheme and it was much more relaxed, more of a chat about the vacation scheme experience." -- First year trainee

  "I interviewed with 2 partners; the first partner conducted a general interview, based on my application. I had to present to the second partner a case study, namely the possible risks and advantages of buying a certain business. The questions were quite probing; be prepared to talk about the bad points of your CV!" -- First year trainee

  "Doubtless very competitive, but actually a fairly painless process: one general interview and one case-study interview. No group exercises/psychometric tests as far as I'm aware." -- First year trainee

  "Interview for a vac scheme had two stages: an in-depth personal interview with a partner; and a very challenging case study with a different partner. Case study comprised a lengthy document which you are required to read in 20 minutes (there is barely enough time to speed read to the end of the document) and then present advice to the partner as if the partner was the 'client'. It is a difficult exercise." -- Second year trainee

  "Online application form; one day of 2 interviews (one with an associate, one with a partner). Interview one was about my CV and business acumen, i.e. how do you demonstrate you're interested in business, what have you read in the FT/Economist recently which interested you, etc. Interview two was a case study which I had about 20 minutes to prepare before 'pitching' to the partner who then posed questions." -- First year trainee

  "One round: two interviews. One interview was personal, about me and my CV, the second was a case study that I do have to say I found quite simple." -- First year trainee

  "A written application followed by an interview day. I interviewed with a senior associate (interview one) and then had a case study with a partner (interview two). Interview one was an HR type interview, e.g. what did you study at university, explain your dissertation to us, tell us about your love of football, etc. Interview two was a case study and focused on your knowledge of the firm and commercial understanding. You had to give a brief presentation at the start on the case study and were then questioned on it. Knowledge of the firm and its competitors seemed to be important." -- First year trainee 

  "There was an online application process followed by a double interview in one day. The first was primarily about myself and my CV. The second was a case study interview. Both were conducted one-on-one and the interviewers were very good at making you feel at ease." -- First year trainee

  "One round of interviews. Senior associate interview, then partner interview and presentation to the partner based on a business matter. Excellent format which is not stressful compared to other interviews. First interview is based around application form and generally commercial issues, and dealing with why London and why this firm, etc." -- First year trainee

  "Difficult – but not harder than it needs to be; online application form and an interview. No assessment days, etc. The firm assumes that you have the relevant intelligence once it has vetted the paper applications. The focus in the interview is how you will fit into the culture of the firm and then there is a quasi-legal exercise to test your ability to think logically, rationally and on your feet." -- Newly qualified solicitor, Banking