Litigation and Dispute Resolution at DLA Piper | Career Guide

DLA Piper is a global firm with a strong litigation and dispute resolution offering that spans commercial litigation, international arbitration, regulatory investigations, insolvency litigation and class/collective actions. In the UK market the team is known for handling cross-border, multi-jurisdictional disputes that require coordination across offices and expert knowledge of arbitration rules, EU/UK regulatory frameworks and insolvency procedure.

The typical team structure you will encounter is:

• Partner-led teams supported by senior associates and junior associates.

• Specialist groups for arbitration, competition litigation, regulatory investigations and insolvency litigation.

• Dedicated client secondment and cross-office project teams for large, multi-jurisdiction matters.

Expect strong collaboration between dispute resolution lawyers and commercial, regulatory, and corporate teams when disputes arise from transactions, regulatory enforcement or restructuring events. Trainees and junior associates often rotate through several sub-teams (eg arbitration and regulatory) to build breadth.

DLA Piper's disputes work is diverse. Rather than naming specific headline cases, it is more useful to understand the matter profiles you will see and the skills they demand:

• Cross-border commercial litigation: Complex contractual disputes involving parallel proceedings in different jurisdictions. Skills required include conflict of laws, document management and court-to-court strategy.

• International arbitration: ICC, LCIA and ad hoc arbitrations where the firm acts for corporates, financial institutions or sovereign-linked entities. Familiarity with arbitration rules, emergency relief and enforcement is essential.

• Regulatory and investigations work: Responses to FCA, CMA or sector regulators, internal investigations and privileged evidence strategies.

• Insolvency and restructuring disputes: Preference claims, wrongful trading and claims against directors during insolvency. This work requires procedural precision and practical risk analysis.

• Class and multi-party litigation: Coordinating lead counsel roles, litigation funding and settlement strategy.

Examples of junior-level tasks on these matters include drafting pleadings and skeleton arguments, preparing witness bundles, running factual analyses for arbitration exhibits, and managing disclosure exercises. Senior associates and partners lead strategy, settlement negotiation and counsel selection across jurisdictions.

DLA Piper runs structured trainee and junior lawyer development programmes. Key features to expect and how to maximise them:

• Seat rotations: Trainees normally undertake dispute-related seats (eg litigation, arbitration, regulatory). Use each seat to build a portfolio of written work. Keep copies of drafting exercises and feedback for future interviews.

• Supervision and feedback: Seek regular one-to-one meetings with your supervisor. Ask for concrete improvement points after each drafting task (eg tighter issue-spotting, clearer chronology, stronger headings).

• Secondments: Commercial secondments (client or international office) are common and valuable for commercial awareness. Apply early and prepare a succinct business-case for why your secondment will add value.

• Formal training: Expect advocacy sessions, drafting workshops and legal research training. Supplement this with technical study on arbitration rules (LCIA, ICC) and procedural guides from practical law resources.

To maximise learning:

• Keep a training log to record the tasks you do, the law learned and the commercial context. This is powerful evidence in interviews.

• Request to draft a short skeleton argument or client update under supervision - these are high-value items to include in application examples.

• Volunteer for pro bono matters that require advocacy or drafting to get courtroom exposure.

Trainee progression often depends on demonstrable commerciality and the ability to take a client-focused approach to advice.

DLA Piper's selection process usually includes online application, digital/psychometric assessments, assessment centre tasks/online case studies and interviews. Practical strategies for each stage:

• CV and covering letter: Tailor both to dispute resolution work. Use a short opening profile and ensure that your experience emphasises written advocacy, research, project management and commercial awareness. Quantify impact where possible (eg "Drafted exhibits for an international arbitration, managing a bundle of 1,200 pages under a two-week deadline").

• Online tests and situational judgement: Practice time management and scenario questions. Use resources such as YourLegalLadder and practice packs on LawCareers.Net to simulate timed assessments.

• Assessment centre and case exercises: Common tasks include drafting a short legal memo, negotiating with an opposing party in a role play, or a group case study. For drafting tasks prioritise:

• Clear conclusion and recommendation in the first paragraph.

• Bullet-pointed short next steps for the client.

• Precise legal issues and any likely defences.

• Time management: allocate the first 10 minutes to planning and the last 5 minutes to proofreading.

• Interviews: Prepare STAR examples that show commerciality, resilience, teamwork, and attention to detail. Good examples for disputes roles include:

• A time you managed competing deadlines in a litigation exercise.

• A negotiation where you identified the BATNA and adjusted your approach.

• An instance where your research changed the team's tactical approach.

Ask informed questions at interview about the firm's approach to multi-jurisdiction disputes, client service model and opportunities for international arbitration exposure.

Key technical skills and ways to build them:

• Legal research and drafting: Become comfortable drafting pleadings, skeleton arguments, witness statements and short advices. Use Practical Law, ICLR and Law Reports for precedent and citation practice.

• Procedural knowledge: Understand CPR, arbitration rules (LCIA, ICC) and standard disclosure rules. Practice drafting directions or disclosure schedules in mock exercises.

• Advocacy basics: Attend mooting and pro bono advocacy clinics. Focus on structuring submissions and developing concise oral argument.

• Project management and e-disclosure: Learn basic e-disclosure tools and document review workflows. Even familiarity with terminology and challenges (eg TAR, review sampling) is useful.

• Commercial awareness: Follow sector moves relevant to DLA Piper clients (TMT, energy, financial services). Weekly commercial awareness briefings (including those from YourLegalLadder) are excellent for structured updates.

Recommended resources:

• Practical Law and Westlaw/Lexis for precedents and procedural guidance.

• Chambers Student, Legal Cheek and LawCareers.Net for firm profiles and market intel.

• The Lawyer, Law360 and the Law Gazette for deal and dispute reporting.

• International institutions' websites: LCIA, ICC and ICSID rulebooks and selected awards.

• YourLegalLadder for tailored application tracking, mock interviews, 1-on-1 mentoring, and SQE revision materials.

How to build a six-week prep plan:

• Week 1: Map DLA Piper's dispute practice areas and recent sector news.

• Week 2: Revise CPR basics and arbitration rules; do two drafting exercises.

• Week 3: Mooting or advocacy clinics; prepare two STAR stories.

• Week 4: Practice assessment centre case studies and group exercises.

• Week 5: Mock interview with feedback and refine CV/cover letter.

• Week 6: Final review and mental preparation; rehearse short client update speeches.

Final practical tips:

• Keep concise examples of your best drafting work (with confidentiality cleared) to discuss during interviews.

• Network with current and former DLA Piper trainees and associates - tactful questions about day-to-day work add depth to applications.

• Use YourLegalLadder alongside other platforms to organise deadlines, track applications and access mentors who have worked in dispute resolution.