All our important numbers and initiatives

Global snapshot

This snapshot will provide you with all the latest information on our global presence, lawyers across the network, key accolades and more.

Read "Allen & Overy: A concise snapshot" (PDF, 1.49 MB) 

About us

Allen & Overy is an international legal practice with approximately 5,000 people, including some 512 partners, working in 42 offices worldwide.

The 2012 financial year was one of continued global growth and long-term investment for Allen & Overy; with turnover up 6% to GBP1.18bn and profit (before tax and exceptional items) up 7% to GBP486m.

Nearly half of Allen & Overy's work this year involved three or more offices, and almost a quarter involved five or more. Reflecting the cross-border nature of its work and the strength of its international network, the business bolstered its new and existing offices with 23 lateral hires across 12 countries, including Australia, Germany and London, and promoted 23 lawyers to partner and 33 to the position of counsel.

In the two years, Allen & Overy has opened new offices in Istanbul, Belfast, Jakarta, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Washington D.C. and Casablanca, bringing its total to 42 offices worldwide.

For more information, see our About us pages.

Global headcount

Number of partners
Allen & Overy has 512 partners across its network of 42 offices.

Lawyers
There are 2,770 lawyers globally including associates and counsel.

Lawyer breakdown by region (including partners)
Americas - 167
Western Europe - 842
Asia Pacific - 435
Middle East - 96
UK - 1,025
Central Eastern Europe - 186
Africa - 19

Graduate recruitment

Trainee intake
Allen & Overy currently offers over 100 trainee seats per year. This will go down to 90 seats by 2014.

Retention rates
March 2012: out of the 57 newly qualified trainees, we offered 52 places, of which 51 accepted - making a retention rate of 89%.

Vacation schemes
Each year we offer 60 vacancies across our winter and summer programmes. In each of our programmes the student will assist their trainer - a partner or an associate - on real deals and sit in two different departments (one during the shorter winter programme).

The A&O network

Number of offices
Allen & Overy has 42 offices in 29 countries.

Number of countries
Allen & Overy operates in 29 countries with several international desks.

Number of languages
Thirty nine languages are spoken across Allen & Overy's network of 42 offices in 29 countries.

Explore our global reach.

Annual results

FY 2012 - More global growth. Turnover up 6% to GBP1.18bn (USD 1.92bn; EUR1.45bn) and profit (before tax and exceptional items) up 7% to GBP486m (USD790m; EUR597m)
View the factsheet (PDF, 249 KB)
Visit our Annual Review 2012 microsite

FY 2011 – A year of investment. Turnover up 7% to GBP1.12bn (USD1.87bn; EUR1.26bn).
Read the press release (PDF, 374 KB)
Visit our Annual Review 2011 microsite

FY 2010 – Robust performance. Profit before tax stable at GBP429m (USD657m; EUR495m). Turnover down 4% to GBP1.05bn (USD1.6bn; EUR1.2bn).
Visit our Annual Review 2010 microsite

FY 2009 - Delivering solid performance. Turnover up 7% to GBP1.091bn (USD1.616bn; EUR1.220bn). Profit before tax down 4% to GBP431m (USD639m; EUR482m).
Visit our Annual Review 2009 microsite

FY 2008 - Global growth delivering record results. Profit before tax up 13% to GBP447 million (USD88m; EUR569m). Turnover up 15% to GBP1.016bn (USD2.012bn; EUR1.292bn).
Read our Annual Report 2008 (PDF, 2.37 MB)

For more reports, related news and contacts, see our Annual reports page.

Key accolades

In 2011 Allen & Overy won over 100 awards.

Women - part-time partnership

In 2010 Allen & Overy announced the introduction of formal arrangements for full equity partners to work part-time. These arrangements have the key aim of retaining more women through to partnership.

Open to all partners globally, part-time partnership aims to provide a genuine option for men and women to adjust the amount of time they work, while continuing to progress as an equity partner, for a maximum period of eight years.

Under the scheme, partners will be able to:

• work a minimum four day week or
• be entitled to a maximum 52 days extra leave a year
• be paid remuneration pro rata to the amount of time worked.

Read the full story

Diversity and inclusion

Gender profile
Worldwide employees at 30 November 2012:

• Male: 44%
• Female: 56%

Worldwide partners at 30 November 2012:

• Male: 84%
• Female: 16%

Age profile
Worldwide employees at 30 November 2012:

• Under 30: 29%
• 30 - 39: 42%
• 40 - 49: 21%
• 50 - 59: 7%
• 60+: 1%

Diversity in recruitment

• In the recruitment year 2010/2011 we visited and worked with 40 UK and Irish universities.
• Our current trainee solicitor population attended 47 universities between them.
• Our current trainee solicitor intake is 59% female and 41% male.
• Of our current trainee intake, 23% are from an ethnic minority background.

For our full policy and more detailed information, see our Diversity and inclusion pages.

Pro-bono

Allen & Overy has an extensive global pro bono and community affairs programme, which is an important part of who we are and the values on which we build our business.

We undertook 44,945 hours of pro bono and CSR work last year, with a value of over GBP15 million.

For further information on the variety of projects we are involved in, see our Pro bono and community pages. 

PRIME

In 2011 we joined twenty other leading UK law firms to launch PRIME, a profession-wide undertaking to give fair access to quality work experience for young people from less privileged backgrounds.

Member firms will provide an agreed number of work experience places that meet a series of minimum standards:

• Firms must provide a number of places that is not less than 50% of the number of training contracts offered each year.
• The target for the profession is to provide 2,500 places by 2015, although firms who have already signed up must achieve their own individual target by July 2013.
• Minimum standards include at least 30-35 hours of work experience per place and a commitment to developing key business and personal skills in areas such as oral and written presentation, networking and negotiation.
• Firms must also offer a way to maintain contact after work experience has ended as well as provide financial assistance during the programme.

For more details and a link to the official website, see our PRIME page.

Smart Start Experience

The Smart Start Experience is an annual programme which gives young people from disadvantaged backgrounds across London an opportunity to gain an insight into the world of business.

It sees over 100 students aged 16-17 taking part in a week-long programme of workshops and challenges, devised and delivered by Allen & Overy volunteers from right across the business in partnership with the Brokerage Citylink.

For full details of the initiative, see our Smart Start Experience page.

Royal Photographic Society

Allen & Overy supports the Royal Photographic Society's annual International Print Exhibition. The partnership began in 2008 and resulted in the introduction of the Allen & Overy Awards alongside The Society's Medals.

Read news on the most recent winners.