Overview

A&O Shearman is a global, full-service commercial law firm advising on cross-border, market‑shaping matters for corporates, banks, investors and sovereigns. The firm presents itself as a high-performance, innovation-focused platform operating across 48 offices in 29 countries, with a strong emphasis on inclusion, advanced delivery and legal technology. It promotes international secondments and structured global training as distinguishing features of its early‑career pathway.

Headquarters: London, One Bishops Square
Offices: 48

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

Corporate & M&A
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Dispute Resolution & Litigation
Energy & Natural Resources
Infrastructure & Projects
Financial Services & Regulation
International Arbitration
Investment Funds
Technology & Digital
Real Estate
Regulatory & Compliance
Competition & Antitrust
Employment
Intellectual Property
Private Equity & Venture Capital

Geographic Focus: A&O Shearman operates a large international platform covering Europe, the Middle East, North America and Asia‑Pacific. The firm emphasises cross‑border, multi‑jurisdictional work and positions teams to handle complex international transactions and disputes, with particular strength in London, continental European financial centres (Frankfurt, Luxembourg, Amsterdam, Paris), key US technology and finance hubs (New York, San Francisco, Menlo Park), and Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Japan).

Training Contract

Training contracts are two years long and comprise four six‑month seats. Seats are allocated by the HR/early careers team in discussion with candidates: trainees can express preferences but placements are subject to business need. Training combines departmental work supervised by partners or associates with firmwide skills training, client seminars and development modules. International secondments form part of the itinerary for certain offices (for example, Singapore trainees have an international secondment to London in their third or final seat).

Starting Salary: £56,000
NQ Salary: £150,000
Trainee Intake: 70
Qualification Rate: 77%
Academic Requirements: AAB at A‑level (136 UCAS points or equivalent) and on track for/achieved a 2:1 undergraduate degree; seven GCSEs at grade 6 or above (including Maths and English) is required for certain open day/vacation scheme applications. Mitigating circumstances are considered.
Application Deadline: 5 October 2026

Seat Options

Banking & Finance
Corporate & M&A
Dispute Resolution & Litigation
Energy & Natural Resources
Infrastructure & Projects
Financial Services & Regulation
International Arbitration
Investment Funds
Technology & Digital
Real Estate
Regulatory & Compliance
Employment
Intellectual Property
Private Equity & Venture Capital

Sponsorship

Supplementary data indicates a PGDL/PGDL grant of £13,500 and an SQE grant of £20,000. The firm also runs a 6‑year solicitor apprenticeship route (earn‑while‑you‑learn) described as enabling qualification without university debt.

SQE Support

Supplementary data indicates an SQE grant of £20,000 (financial support for SQE costs).

International Opportunities

International secondments are routinely available as part of the training contract in certain offices (for example, Singapore trainees undertake an international secondment to London in their third or final seat). Supplementary data indicates a 25% chance of a secondment abroad for trainees overall.

Client Secondments

Client secondment opportunities exist but are limited; supplementary data indicates approximately a 5% chance of a client secondment for trainees.

Mentorship

Trainees are assigned departmental supervisors and trainers; the firm operates trainee 'buddy' schemes (including a REACH buddy scheme run by the race and ethnicity network) and a global early careers team providing ongoing mentorship, feedback and pastoral support.

Programmes & Schemes

Summer Vacation Scheme - London

A multi‑week scheme (summer intake) for penultimate‑year undergraduates from any degree discipline providing seat rotations, live legal work, training sessions, social events and assessment for training contracts. Successful candidates are paid a weekly stipend and considered for a training contract.

Duration: 2 weeks (Summer 2027 scheme dates: Monday 5 July 2027 – Friday 16 July 2027)
Salary: £500 per week
Deadline: 2026-11-09

Winter Vacation Scheme - London

A short, intensive scheme (final‑year students) providing practical legal experience, networking and assessment for a spring intake training contract. Includes seat exposure, training and social events.

Duration: 1 week (Monday 30 November 2026 – Friday 4 December 2026)
Salary: £500 per week
Deadline: 2026-09-07

Summer Vacation Scheme - Singapore

Three‑week scheme in July with rotations through two practice areas, training and social activities. Participants sit alongside associates on live matters and attend skills sessions. Successful candidates receive a stipend and may be considered for an England & Wales training contract via the scheme.

Duration: 3 weeks
Salary: Stipend (amount not specified)
Deadline: 2026-10-01

Summer Vacation Scheme - UAE

Middle East summer scheme offering exposure to the firm’s international Middle East practice, trainee buddying, seat work alongside associates, a client‑pitch project and social events. Performance on the scheme is used to assess candidates for training contracts.

Advanced Delivery Legal Vacation Scheme - Belfast

One‑ to two‑week placement within the firm’s Advanced Delivery legal team in Belfast, working on document‑intensive and tech‑enabled legal support tasks alongside lawyers and receiving mentoring and assessment for future legal roles.

Duration: 1–2 weeks
Salary: £500 per week
Deadline: 2026-12-31

Student internships - Netherlands

Two‑month internships providing hands‑on legal experience, working on real matters with supervision and development opportunities for students in the Netherlands.

Duration: 2 months

Global Virtual Work Experience Program

A self‑paced, modular virtual work experience (hosted via a third‑party platform) covering practice areas such as Technology & M&A, Employment Law and Derivatives & Structured Finance to showcase day‑to‑day tasks and develop practical skills. Open to all with no academic minimums.

Duration: Self‑paced

Apply →

London Open Day - 9th October 2026

An in‑person open day offering presentations, a legal challenge, networking lunch, a trainee panel and an application workshop. Travel reimbursement of up to £150 is offered to attendees.

Duration: 1 day (09:00–16:00 / event runs 12:00–16:00 as advertised)
Salary: Travel reimbursement up to £150
Deadline: 2026-09-21

London Training Contract Open Evening - 21st September 2026

An evening event aimed at applicants to the training contract and vacation schemes, providing insight into the selection process and career pathways.

Duration: 1 evening
Deadline: 14 september 2026

Solicitor Apprenticeship - London

A 6‑year solicitor apprenticeship enabling candidates to earn while they learn, rotate through teams, and qualify as a solicitor without university tuition debt.

Duration: 6 years

Law Tech and Operations Graduate Programme - London

A graduate programme combining legal expertise with technology innovation, aimed at building careers in legal operations and law tech.

What A&O Shearman Looks For

Key Competencies

Commercial awareness
Communication
Problem solving
Teamwork
Attention to detail
Resilience
Adaptability
Time management
Technical legal ability
Interest in technology and process improvement

Evidence Signals

Relevant vacation scheme or internship experience
Commercial work or client‑facing experience
International experience or language skills (valuable for cross‑border work)
Demonstrable teamwork and leadership (e.g., society or project roles)
Engagement with legal tech or process improvement projects
Pro bono or volunteering demonstrating commitment to social impact
Strong academic record (AAB at A‑level; 2:1 degree or above) or accepted contextual mitigation notes

Benefits & Wellbeing

Year 1 trainee salary: £56,000
Year 2 trainee salary: £61,000
NQ salary: £150,000
PGDL/PGDL grant: £13,500
SQE grant: £20,000
Weekly vacation scheme stipend: £500 (London, Belfast)
Discretionary bonus plans
Market‑competitive benefits packages tailored by location
Health and wellness: access to check‑ups, insurance cover and wellbeing platforms
40+ mental health advocates plus trained mental health allies and champions
Family and lifestyle support including job‑shares, part‑time arrangements, amended start/end times, career breaks and sabbaticals
Temporary cross‑border remote working flexibility (up to 20 days in 12 months)
Travel reimbursement for certain recruitment events (up to £150 for London Open Day)
Retirement/savings provision (market‑dependent)
Paid vacation scheme placements
Access to global training and development

Wellbeing

Local well‑being plans at each office, 40+ mental health advocates in leadership, trained mental health allies and champions, mental health awareness, education, support programmes, and normalisation of conversations around wellbeing.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

The firm places responsible business, inclusion, social impact, pro bono and sustainability at the centre of its strategy and reports progress where legislation allows. The firm states it supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals where it can have the greatest impact.

REACH buddy scheme (run by the race and ethnicity network)
Race and ethnicity network (REACH)
Global well‑being plans and mental health advocates
Inclusion woven through career, community and workspace considerations
Encouragement of volunteering and pro bono engagement

Pro Bono

Pro bono and community investment are promoted firmwide; people are encouraged to volunteer time and skills and to support the firm’s chosen global charity.

Innovation

The firm invests in technology and alternative delivery through its Advanced Delivery teams, knowledge engineering roles and graduate programmes in law tech and operations. Trainees and junior lawyers engage with legal tech initiatives, technology‑driven delivery and process improvement as part of experiential seats and specialised teams. Insider ratings indicate an A* for legal tech, reflecting strong emphasis on tech innovation.

Advanced Delivery and Solutions (technology‑enabled legal support and alternative resourcing, based in Belfast)
Law Tech and Operations Graduate Programme
Knowledge Engineering & Platform roles and know‑how teams
Peerpoint consultant platform (access to consultancy opportunities)
Use of legal technology across delivery teams

Quick Application Angles

Emphasise international fit: highlight cross‑border experience or interest and reference the firm’s routine international secondments (e.g., Singapore→London) to show you’d thrive on multi‑jurisdictional matters.
Demonstrate commercial awareness and sector focus: link your application to the firm’s core areas (Corporate & M&A, Banking & Finance, ENRI, Disputes) and, where possible, reference a concrete market development relevant to those practices.
Showcase tech and process interest: the firm scores exceptionally highly for legal tech (A*). Mention any experience with legal technology, automation, or advanced delivery projects to stand out.
Use the firm’s values language: explicitly reference 'Belonging and excelling' (their stated core values) and give examples of how you would contribute to an inclusive, high‑performance culture.
Practical recruitment cues: note the firm’s assessment flow (untimed online interactive assessment including SJTs, verbal/numerical items and two short video motivation questions; assessment days include a commercial case study and two interviews). Use the firm’s published advice and virtual work experience modules to prepare.

A&O Shearman