Allen & Overy

Training Contracts at Allen & Overy

Allen & Overy is keen to emphasise that while it demands a strong academic background, it’s not just focused on the Oxbridge elite. A look at its graduate pool paints a colourful picture of candidates from a wide range of academic institutions and diverse backgrounds. Current trainees say ‘good academics, social skills and business awareness are all key’, but equally you should be ‘hard working, organised and proactive’. A&O is known for its ‘work hard/play hard’ culture and the firm only takes on trainees that can keep up with its fast-paced environment. If this sounds a little intimidating, don’t be put off. All of the trainees in our survey agreed that A&O ‘is a genuinely friendly firm’ and most trainees ‘are quite fun’.

A&O trainees tell us how ‘there is a wide variety of departments to sit in’, such as real estate, litigation and employment; but keep in mind that you will have to complete two of your four six month seats in the firm’s core departments – international capital markets, banking and corporate. The training at Allen & Overy is described by trainees as ‘absolutely fantastic’ and one of ‘the best offered among UK law firms’. In addition, there is a ‘huge range of client secondments and secondments in overseas offices’ available. The firm gives its trainees the option to go abroad for their final seat, to locations such as Sydney, Dubai, Paris, New York or Budapest.

So what can you expect from the application process? It’s relatively straightforward: with no psychometric testing, verbal reasoning tests, group exercises or assessment days. Instead candidates are judged on a one-to-one basis through interviews which include a case study exercise. The initial stage requires you to fill in an online application form, quizzing you on your background and CV. Make the cut and you’ll be invited to two rounds of interviews; as you might expect for a Magic Circle firm, one trainee say it’s ‘very competitive’ to even land an interview.

The first interview is more general and will focus on your CV and business acumen. It is usually with a partner or senior associate who will want to cover your personal qualifications and experiences to assess your motivation, skills and knowledge. Make sure you can articulately explain your reasons for applying to Allen & Overy and this is important. Be prepared for questions such as ‘how do you demonstrate you're interested in business?’, ‘what have you read in the FT/Economist recently which interested you?’ or ‘what do you know about our competition?’.

For the second round, A&O trainees say to expect a ‘45-minute discussion on a case study’, which will heavily test your commercial awareness and problem solving abilities. You’ll be asked to speed read a lengthy document in 20 minutes, which you will then have to present to your interviewer. The presentation is followed by a discussion about key points from the case study. This can be ‘quite gruelling’ – you will be asked lots of detailed questions about the document. But try not to worry – questions are described as ‘fair and thought provoking’ and interviewers do their best to make ‘you feel at ease’. After you’ve finished both interviews, you will be given a tour of the offices by a current trainee.

Vacation Schemes

Allen & Overy also offers vacation schemes; these often provide a springboard to landing a training contract with the firm. There are summer programmes available for penultimate year students, and winter programmes for grads and career changers, offering 65 students each year the opportunity to get their hands dirty and gain some real work experience. Summer schemes run for three weeks while the winter ones are shorter, lasting for only eight days. The firm also offers international internships to 12 lucky students who then spend their summer in New York, Hong Kong, Dubai or Frankfurt. If you fancy one of these international placements, a knowledge of the local language is definitely a plus – especially if you’re keen to go to the German office.