Students and graduates

Starting as a graduate with Allen & Overy is the beginning of an exciting legal career as you will be embarking on your qualification as a UK commercial solicitor but based in our Singapore office.

We will support you through the Post Graduate Diploma in Law (PGDL) and/or Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) in London and then your England & Wales training contract in Singapore.

Your training contract will be based on six month rotations (known as ‘seats’) through a number of departments or practice areas, where you will sit with a partner or an associate.

Our core areas of expertise are Banking, Corporate and International Capital Markets and as a trainee you will spend at least twelve months of your training contract gaining experience in at least two of these areas. It is also a possibility, that in your second year of training, you may spend six months in our London office. Our trainees also need to gain contentious experience during their training contract which they do in our Litigation department. We also offer our trainees the option of completing a Litigation course, while in London, to gain their contentious experience if they are sure their interests lie elsewhere.

Please note that if you are studying or have studied a qualifying law degree in England and Wales, you will need to complete the bespoke Allen & Overy Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) after graduation. If you are unsure whether your degree falls into this category, please contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) for clarification. If you have not studied a qualifying law degree, then you will need to complete the Post Graduate Diploma in Law (12 months long) before taking the Allen & Overy SQE.

We often hear students have a difficult time in differentiating firms. For this reason, we recommend an internship with us as a great way to experience first-hand our cutting-edge work and collaborative culture.

During your internship, you will get practical, hands-on experience, working alongside partners, associates and trainees on real deals and active cases. Alongside your legal work, you will attend events and presentations about key elements of our practice while developing the skills you need to be a successful international commercial lawyer.

The internship will run for three weeks during July and will allow for rotations through two practice areas.

Students who complete an internship with us will be considered for an England & Wales Training Contract commencing in March 2024 or later at the end of their placement. The decision will be based on their performance during the internship, as we do not conduct additional interviews.

We ultimately believe an internship is a two-way process and a chance for you to work out if A&O is the right firm for you. While there will be some assessment during your time on the scheme, our main focus is giving you exposure to our business and providing opportunities for you to learn and develop.

Candidates for our summer internship programme should be in their third or fourth year at a Singapore University, or in their penultimate or final  year of their law degree at a university abroad.  All applications must be submitted through our career portal. You will be asked to answer a few questions about why you want to be a lawyer at Allen & Overy, to provide details of your academic transcripts and details of your work experience.

Applications for our 2024 internship will open on the 1st of October 2023 and will close on the 31st of December 2023.

Following the completion of your degree and prior to commencing your Training Contract with us, we will require you to complete the Allen & Overy SQE at BPP Law School.

Our fee earners and training team have worked closely with BPP to develop a bespoke programme that reflects the particular requirements of a legal career. The course features materials based on real examples of the transactions we do and enables you to familiarise yourself with our precedents, making it easier when you start at Allen & Overy. The modules you will take focus on our core practice areas (Banking, Corporate and International Capital Markets) to ensure your time at Law School provides the best possible preparation for your Training Contract with us.

The SQE preparation course is an 11 month course during which you will prepare for, and sit, the SQE1 and SQE2 assessments. The SQE course commences in September and March each year (i.e. those joining Allen & Overy in September 2024 will start the SQE course in September 2023; those joining the firm in March 2025 will start the SQE course in March 2024).

The first 15 weeks of the course will be spent preparing for the SQE1 assessment, with the following part of the course focusing on SQE2 preparation and the delivery of our bespoke ‘Essentials for Practice’ course content, to really prepare you for life at Allen & Overy and the transition to starting your training with us. An image of the SQE preparation course learning journey/timeline is available here. If you are a non-law graduate, you will complete the PGDL before the SQE preparation course. 

Further information about the SQE is available on the SRA website. 

As a non-law graduate your Training Contract with us will be exactly the same as a law graduate. However, your route to qualification will be slightly different, as you will have to study for the Post Graduate Diploma in Law (PGDL) at BPP Law School.

Those who have completed a law degree in an international jurisdiction that is not recognised as a qualifying law degree by the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority will also need to complete the PGDL, this will include people studying Law in Singapore who have not studied English Land Law during their degree.

The PGDL is a one-year (or two-year part time) course designed to teach you research skills and everything you need to know about law before you join those who already have a Law degree. 

Academic achievement is essential to make it into the world of law, and we do look for results equivalent to UK 2:1. However, don’t forget to make the most of your extra-curricular activities and work experience to show that you are an ambitious and well-rounded candidate.  

Ensure your application is free from spelling and grammatical errors – attention to detail is a fundamental skill for a lawyer – so we expect this to be reflected in your application. We’re not looking for poetry but we are looking for you to be accurate and concise. It’s a good idea to draft, edit and get someone else to read over your application before clicking ‘Submit’. 

Be able to show an understanding and awareness of the commercial aspects of being a lawyer. Pick an area in a business sector that is of real interest to you and read about the deals and stories involved. Whilst we don’t expect you to know the details of a complex transaction having an understanding of the implications of those deals and how they can affect the firm and our clients will help you stand out amongst your peers.

Remember to revisit your application before your interview and know what you have written. The interview questions are likely to include details about school and university studies, your interests and achievements, work experience, why you have chosen this career and ultimately why you want to work at Allen & Overy. University careers services may offer mock interviews, so book one if you can. Getting feedback on how you come across in an interview scenario from someone you don’t know can be really helpful before the event.

There is no “typical” Allen & Overy candidate and we know students have various interests and skills. We are keen for interesting and open-minded people to join us. Essentially, in your application we are looking for evidence of teamwork, motivation and drive, communication skills, planning and organisation, critical thinking, commercial awareness and commitment – both to a career in law and to a career with Allen & Overy. 

At Allen & Overy we recognise that you will be applying to a number of law firms and that can mean a lot of applications. It may appear that each firm wants a similar application, but your individual approach and attention to our firm will help set you apart. It’s worth taking the time to focus on each individual application – it may take longer but the effort will be worth it if you secure an interview. The questions asked by different firms may look similar, but it is unlikely you will be able to use the same answer each time. 

Creating an application that stands out from the rest of the crowd and sells your skills can be a challenge. In the first instance, make sure that you know exactly what’s required by familiarising yourself with the what we look for - communication, teamwork, interpersonal skills and commercial awareness are just some of the skills we look for at Allen & Overy, so prepare some examples to demonstrate your experience of each. 

We want to find out what type of person you are, so try to showcase yourself in your application. 

We expect academically successful candidates but your application will stand out if you show that you have experienced life outside the library. Volunteering or joining a society or sporting team is valuable, especially if you take responsibility for a task, such as managing a budget or project. Try to demonstrate your responsibilities and your capacity to shape events, committees and outcomes. 

If you have completed legal or non-legal, commercial or any other kind of work experience, think about what you have learned and observed. You may, for example, have made a recommendation for improving a process to your manager or have handled a difficult customer. Using examples like this on your application and during interviews shows that you have learned from your experience and that you are willing to be asked about it. 

Candidates for our summer internship programme should be in their third or fourth year at a Singapore University, or in their penultimate or final  year of their law degree at a university abroad.

Applications for our 2024 internship will open on the 1st of October 2023 and will close on the 31st of December 2023.

The Scheme will take place from the 8th of July to the 26th of July 2024, so please ensure you are available to participate, should you be successful in securing a place on the scheme. 

We accept applications from students who want to become England and Wales qualified and are aware of the route required to do this.

Our summer internship programme is aimed at penultimate year students. If you have already completed your degree and did not apply for a summer internship during your penultimate year we would want to understand the reasoning behind this decision. 

No, our summer internship programme runs for three weeks during the month of July It is a structured programme giving you the best possible experience of Allen & Overy. 

We recruit our graduates via our summer internship programme. We do not have a separate graduate recruitment programme. In the event that we need to add graduates to our intakes we will advertise the role on our website.

No, all applications must be submitted online via our career portal. Any applications received by any other means will not be considered.

We appreciate that not all universities release their results prior to the internship applications period.You are able to submit your application without your most recent academic transcript however, we will require a copy when it becomes available. If you do not submit your past academic transcripts, we will be unable to assess your application and it will be declined.

Prior legal experience is not a requirement. You should make the most of any work related experience that you have, regardless of the discipline, and focus on what you have learned and observed and how this will apply to your legal career.

No, you are unable to edit your answers once you have submitted your application.

Interviews are hosted by HR and partners. We do not always specify who you will be interviewed by during the process, due to last minute changes, which can be unsettling. 
The first interview is based on your application form and will assess your skills, experience and understanding of what it means to be a commercial lawyer at Allen & Overy. The second interview is a business case study, and is aimed at assessing your interest in business, commercial awareness, ability to digest information and you presentation skills.

We take around eight interns each year, with a view to offering between 2-3 interns an England and Wales training contract. However, our trainee number is dependent on business needs and the caliber of interns.

No this isn’t an option, we appreciate that you may have other commitments during the summer however, our internship is a structured programme to give you the best possible experience.

We have a planned work experience week with three designated Singapore schools only.