UK London Training Contract
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Our bespoke training contract has been designed to provide you with the opportunities and skills needed to become a confident and competent legal professional. You will rotate around four different seats, each lasting 6 months, gaining invaluable experience in multiple areas of commercial law. You will spend one seat in our Global Loans or Global Markets practice, and one seat in one of our transactional practices. The additional two seats will be spent gaining experience across our broad-range of practice areas, or on a client or international secondment.
On day one of your training contract you will be introduced to your trainee buddy who will be on hand to support you while you settle into the firm and beyond. You will spend the first 2 weeks taking part in a tailor-made induction, learning more about our firm, our practices and our expectations of you as a trainee. As you move into each seat you will be taken through comprehensive training to prepare you for the 6 months ahead, along with a handover with your trainee predecessor. You will be paired with an experienced and dedicated supervisor who will support you as you grow in experience.
Our experienced Early Careers team will work with you throughout your training contract to ensure you are on the right trajectory for qualification. You will have direct access to our Learning and Development team who are dedicated to ensuring you receive full and thorough training throughout your training contract.
Post-graduate sponsorship
All our future trainees attend the University of Law to complete post graduate study. If you haven't yet completed a law degree you will undertake the Post Graduate Diploma in Law (PGDL), which is a replacement of the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), before moving on to complete an LLM Legal Practice Course (SQE 1&2) which is unique to Ashurst and is a replacement of the previously known Legal Practice Course (LPC). We offer the following benefits to future joiners who have not yet completed post graduate study:
Non-law students completing PGDL will receive a bursary to study at the University of Law along with a £10,000 maintenance grant (£9,000 if you study the PGDL at a University of Law campus outside London).
All students yet to complete LLM Legal Practice Course (SQE 1&2) will receive a bursary to study at University of Law, Moorgate branch, along with a £17,000 maintenance grant.
Interest-free loans of £2,000, repayable in instalments once you start your training contract.
What we can offer you
Keeping in touch
Once you receive an offer you will join our network of Future Trainees and will be included in our Keeping in Touch Programme, run by our Early Careers team and a committee of current trainees. You will be invited to attend bi-annual events and will be kept up-to-date with firm developments.
Quality training
You'll work alongside, and learn from, some of the most talented professionals in the industry. From our dedicated Learning & Development team to our knowledgeable and experienced expertise lawyers, you will have access to quality and meaningful training throughout your training contract.
Inclusive culture
You’ll be part of a close-knit, diverse and ambitious cohort of trainee solicitors, and work first-hand with our energised and collaborative people who are experts in their field. You'll have your voice heard and have the opportunity to champion change through our numerous diversity networks.
Secondment opportunities
Our global reach brings you the opportunity to spend 6 months of your training contract working in one of our international offices, with access to language lessons to support your experience. You will also have the opportunity to gain the unique and invaluable experience of spending 6 months working in-house for one of our long-standing clients.
Trainee salary
First Year Salary: £52,000 Second Year Salary £57,000
The recruitment process
Applications are open to finalists and graduates of all degree disciplines, as well as penultimate year law students. To qualify, you should be on track to achieve a 2.1 in your undergraduate degree.
If you haven't met this criteria and there are mitigating circumstances, there will be an opportunity for you to provide us with this information on your application.
Our online application form allows you to showcase your talent, your passion for the industry and your knowledge of our firm. You will have the opportunity to share your insights into the legal industry and more details about yourself.
We do not recruit on a rolling basis and will review all applications after our closing date. Candidates can expect to hear an update in relation to their application in mid to late May 2024.
Note:
You cannot apply for both a vacation schemes and a training contract in the same recruitment window. We would ask that you only apply for one opportunity during the recruitment window. If you complete a vacation scheme with us, you will be interviewed for a training contract at the end of the scheme.
Once you have submitted your application, you will re-ceive an invitation within seven days to complete three online ability tests.
Cognify – will require you to complete a series of online games measuring your problem solv-ing and analytical skills.
Values Fit – helps us to identify candidates who have similar values to Ashurst and our staff. This assessment looks at key work fac-tors and the importance you give each one, ensuring the best cultural fit for both yourself and Ashurst.
Emotify – will require you to complete 2 games measuring your interpersonal skills, leadership potential and capability.
Please ensure you complete the tests within three days of receiving them. We are unable to offer any exten-sions for candidates who do not complete these on time. To find our more information on what the tests entail and how you can prepare, please visit Revelian Candidate Support/Ashurst Assessments.
If your initial application is successful, you will complete a written case study online which will be facilitated by a member of our Early Careers team, designed to test your analytical and problem solving skills.
You will then join us in our London office to take part in a competency based interview with a HR representative and associate/senior associate from one of our practice areas.
You will have the opportunity to meet with our current trainees and take part in an office tour to give you an insight into life at the firm.
If you're successful, you will take part in an hour long interview with two of our partners. Alongside behavioural interview questions you will also be asked a series of questions about a case study which will be provided to you to review 15 minutes prior to your interview time. This is to test your analytic and commercial skills, and your ability to think on your feet.
We are committed to making all stages of our recruitment process accessible to candidates with disabilities or long-term health conditions. If you consider yourself to have a disability or a long-term health condition, please feel able to be open about this at any point during the recruitment process. If you are not sure what adjustments you require, we will work with you to establish the most suitable adjustments at each stage of the recruitment process. Please note that our online application form includes a section which allows you to advise us of any extenuating circumstances that are relevant for us to consider when reviewing your application form.
If you would like to talk to a member of the team in relation to any queries you may have on your disability or long-term health condition and the recruitment process, please get in touch. Any information disclosed on your disability will remain strictly confidential.
Key dates
Applications open
8 January 2024
Applications close
29 March 2024
Interviews conducted
May – June 2024 TBC
Start date
September 2026 & March 2027
Events
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Come and meet us!
Read moreCome and meet us!
17 November at 12pm
Ashurst in Action – Non-Russell Group Panel
Find out more here21 November, 2pm to 5pm
Legal Cheek – Virtual Law Fair
Find out more24 November at 12pm
Ashurst in Action – All about Dispute Resolution
Find out more here
28 November at 12pm
Ashurst in Action – Meet our Trainees
Find out more here
5 December at 12pm
Ashurst in Action - Application & Interview Masterclass
Find out more here
Note: Further events will be added throughout campus season
Case Study
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Commercial Awareness and Legal Tech
Saba Nasrolahi
Read moreCommercial Awareness and Legal Tech
Commercial Awareness is a crucial skill when it comes to interviews and assessment centres. However, it needs to be grown organically so that you are able to use your commercial awareness practically and genuinely. It can seem daunting to try and understand how industries and businesses work and what is going on in the world, with the aim of being able to discuss and analyse it. Therefore, it is best to build your commercial awareness from the ground up. One way to do this is by narrowing down the field of view.
My advice on doing this is always to identify a topic you are interested in. For me, it was technology. I took Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics at A(S)-Level and had always loved learning about developments in the technology sector. I naturally always clicked on the Technology/Business tab on BBC news before I started thinking about 'commercial awareness'. For me, my interest in technology helped me to organically grow my commercial awareness. I started to think about how the law would adapt to developments in technology such as 'where would uncertainty lie for companies utilising crypto assets' and 'do we need a new form of IP right to protect AI-devised inventions'? Finding a topic like this is a great base line to start at, if you are stuck on where to begin (it can range from climate change to football!).
Whenever reading an article relating to the topic, I would dissect the information. Go back to basics and think:
- Who are the parties involved?
- What does each party want in the situation? How would you advise them to reach their goal?
- What are the risks in the current market impacting each party?
- Does the current market provide a party with potential advantages/benefits?
- What are the social, political and legal issues?
This can help you to start to think holistically about factors that can impact law firms and their clients.
This does not have to come from specialist newspapers like the Financial Times (although I would advise the end goal to be to at least be able to discuss your basic views on recent news covered in the Financial Times). Read the kind of news you can read or listen to on the way to University and be able to genuinely engage with it.
Engaging with the material can mean that:- If there is any terminology you do not understand, start to compile a spreadsheet, add in these terms, a basic definition and an example of how it is used.
- You are thinking about which departments in Ashurst would get potentially get involved, based on the information you have read from an article.
- You are thinking about what commercial topic is being discussed in the material. How does it link to other material you have read during the same week - from any sector?
Starting with this base allowed me to build a foundational understanding of how businesses and the market work. It made it easier to be pro-active and delve into deeper research and analysis. This lead me to learning more about the finance sector, and now I am sat in a Banking seat, which I am thoroughly enjoying.
It is important to follow news you can genuinely engage with in a consistent manner - developments can happen rapidly and the consistency will help you grow your commercial awareness. There is no point referencing a particular issue/deal/development in your application and not being able to discuss it weeks later at an interview either because a) you are not actually interested and b) you have not kept up with the latest developments in the area or market conditions that may have impacted your analysis.Legal Tech
What is Legal Tech?
Legal Technology is often used to refer to the use of technology and software applications to provide legal services, such as digital products designed to help lawyers carry out their legal work more efficiently.
For me, there are two streams in relation to the commonly discussed overlay between law and technology.
The first is the utilisation of new technology that requires law firms to guide their clients through the developing legal landscape. For example, 2022 has seen a tightening of crypto-regulation as unregulated crypto-assets are being brought within the scope of the financial promotion regime. There is also uncertainty where the regulatory environment has not been developed, requiring lawyers to act as trusted advisors to navigate their client. I often read Law Commission reports/summary reports relating to topics such as Smart Contracts and Digital Assets to see how the legal landscape may be developing and where gaps of uncertainty may lie for clients.
There are many resources online that report on this exciting area as well as events that are accessible to students/aspiring trainee solicitors. A great place to start is the Ashurst website, especially the Ashurst Advance section, and skimming through the Insights/Briefings as well as publicly available Ashurst podcasts. You can then follow up and research areas of your interest that the article has flagged.
Legal Tech – Law Firms and their ClientsThe second is the use of technology as a driving factor that is transforming the way law firms operate and offer services to their clients. COVID-19 has accelerated the uptake of technology in Legal Practice. During 2020, the HM Land Registry began temporarily accepting electronic signatures for registration transfers and other deeds, a decade after the Law Society Note advocated a prudent approach to the virtual execution of documents! Remote working and collaborative technology is now arguably a core part of Legal Practice.
Ashurst is a leading, forward-thinking global law firm. During COVID-19, the required embrace of remote execution of legal documents caused the need for policies and guidance on the use of e-signature applications. Ashurst's Legal Technologists worked with the Expertise and Knowledge teams to help create an e-signature/DocuSign policy for the UK. Ashurst is committed to thinking digital first in how we serve our clients with innovation laying at the heart of the firm. Ashurst Advance is Ashurst's exceptional full service NewLaw offering , developing digital products such as Ashurst Privilege Plus, an app that provides a steer to whether a document is covered by legal privilege or not and whether privilege may have been lost. These digital products and solutions help meet clients' needs for cost-effective and efficiency-driven legal service delivery.
The firm is also utilising technology in relation to learning and training, such as Ashurst's Emerging Talent Hub, a digital way to gain an excellent insight in Ashurst.
Testimonials
"Ashurst is a place where high calibre work and high quality clients are a given. As a bonus I have had the opportunity to work in an innovative, collaborative environment with peers and seniors who have become not only my friends but my mentors."
Marisa, Trainee Solicitor 2023
"The work has been great and I've definitely had some interesting experiences on the programme such as attending a settlement meeting in the Cheesegrater building! The culture at Ashurst also really makes it stand out for me. One highlight is the annual Mardi Gras drag show event held here at the office which is always super fun and really shines a light on the firm's diverse and inclusive culture."
Alexandra, Trainee Solicitor 2023
Applicant Resource Hub
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Inclusion, Diversity & Belonging
Our inclusive and diverse culture stands at the heart of everything we do. For more information on our initiatives and the support we provide please follow the link below.
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If you can’t find answers to your questions on this page or on the Applicant Resource Hub then please contact our Early Careers team.
Agencies
Agency submissions and candidate introductions will only be accepted with prior approval from a member of the Ashurst Talent Acquisition team. To submit or introduce a candidate, an agency must have valid agreed terms of business in place with Ashurst. Any agency submissions or candidate introductions made without prior approval or without the agreed terms of business in place will be considered invalid.
Diversity
We are committed to offering a safe and welcoming environment for our employees and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. With diversity and inclusion at the heart of what we do we place a strong emphasis on working with people from diverse communities and aim to make a positive impact through our Social Impact programmes.