Graduate Programmes
Law Tech & Operations Graduate Programme
If you're unsure where you fit in tech, this is your chance to explore and see how it can improve our world. Through rotations, you'll dive into new industries and leave your mark in a field driving innovation for all.
Law Tech & Operations Graduate Programme
Find your place in the future of tech
What you’ll gain
A&O Shearman is leading the way by transforming the services we offer and the ways in which we deliver them. On our Law Tech & Operations Graduate Programme, you’ll get to be a part of it all. You’ll work alongside coders, developers, legal project managers, lawyers and clients to help bridge the gap between traditional law and the modern world. You’ll be set up with the foundation and skills you’ll need for a range of exciting future careers in technology, while earning a salary of £37,000 in the first year of the programme (increasing in the second year).
Work experience
If you’re fascinated by tech and its potential to make a difference, this programme is for you. Over the two-year programme, you’ll rotate through different teams and gain experience in different legal practice areas. On your rotations, you’ll drive tech forwards as a project manager, you’ll test new technologies, and you’ll imagine how new tech might solve clients’ problems more efficiently and innovatively. And along the way, you’ll share your newfound expertise to help us excel as a business, and you excel as an individual.
Growth and development
We offer exceptional professional and personal development – providing training, mentoring and practical support. In every year of the graduate programme, you have mentors and other dedicated points of contact to ensure that you receive the best pastoral care possible. With us, you will constantly be learning and growing.
Academic Qualifications
We’re able to welcome final-year students or graduates from all universities with any degree.
Personal Skills
Curiosity, Organisation, Ambition, Innovation, Passion
Salary
Year one: £37,000 pa
Year two: £43,000 pa
Application Window
16 December 2024 - 3 February 2025
Helpful Resources
How to use AI responsibly in the application process
Applications Dos and Don’ts
Situational Judgement Test: What is it and how to prepare for it
Programme Overview
This programme will set you up with the foundation and skills you’ll need for a range of exciting future careers in technology.
Law Tech & Operations graduates are based in Advanced Delivery & Solutions, where we help clients embrace technological change with alternative solutions, consulting, and strategic advice. You’ll rotate through different teams in A,D&S: our Markets Innovation Group, Legal Project Management, Legal Tech, Practice Transformation Team and Fuse or eDiscovery teams.
You will also gain experience in different legal practice areas, such as Corporate or International Capital Markets. And by the end of the programme, you’ll have your own expertise in both technology and the legal profession, ready for a unique career.
On your rotations, you’ll be learning from your expert mentors while making your own impact on live projects. That means you can share your own unique perspective from day one, supporting on client pitches and communicating new technologies and innovative ideas to lawyers and teams across the business. You’ll learn to be the expert in the room, and you’ll play a meaningful role in our transformation, helping us to continuously improve our solutions and service delivery from every angle.
And this could be just the start. When you finish the programme, we’ll aim to help you find a permanent role in the team that best matches your talents, and you’ll be supported to surprise yourself by exploring unexpected futures.
Salary
£37,000 in the first year
£43,000 in the second year
Shruti
Head of Fuse
We’re committed to creating an environment where people can lift themselves out of the traditional view of law and instead see that there are a lot of different ways of accomplishing things by looking from a different perspective.
To succeed, you’ll still need the rigour, the grit and resilience that forms a good lawyer, but you will be able to blend that with being open-minded, unafraid to try new things and be a passionate agent of change. I don’t think tech skills are the be all and end all, I don’t have any STEM skills for example, but I do have the above, and those characteristics are important in not just coming up with a great idea, but being able to put that into planning and execution.
What I particularly love about this programme is that you get to be at the helm of changing things. Here you get to be part of looking at the problem, choosing the tech and being part of the solution. It’s empowering and a very rare opportunity to understand a vast plethora of things that feed into law. There are so many multidisciplinary teams required for a law firm to function effectively and this is an opportunity to get a seat in the tech focused departments. It develops a real variety of skillsets and offers a broad view of different practice groups through the lens of resources, project management and tech.
Shruti
Joe
Law Tech & Operations Graduate
As a chemistry graduate from Cambridge, I was unsure if it was even appropriate to apply for the programme as I’d never studied law, but I was interested in legal tech and the role of tech in finance and business. Having been in the role for two years, I can say that it was a great decision to go for and I’ve really enjoyed my time here.
I’ve now applied for a full-time role in the project management team. What I like about project management the most is that there isn’t any typical work that the team does. We work on the largest matters in the firm, often multijurisdictional, coordinating lawyers from different departments.
While it helps to be inquisitive, analytical and entrepreneurial, there is no one type of person who would be perfect in the programme. People are varied and their interests are different. It is not essential to have legal knowledge, a lot of the work is advising on new tech so an analytical approach spotting places to advise on and build out, and an interest in new and emerging technologies, would be beneficial.
A&O Shearman prides itself in the training of their graduates and I’ve learnt so much due to the massive focus on development. My managers are a key part of this, taking time out of their day to discuss learning objectives with me and generally checking in on work. The project management are an especially great team of friendly, sociable people.
Joe
Advanced Delivery & Solutions Explained
Your pathway to success
If you’re fascinated by tech and its potential to make a difference, this programme is for you. Law Tech & Operations cohorts are small and close-knit, so you’ll get lots of exposure with individual mentoring and support to discover your niche. And the rotations cover very different teams and ways of working, so you can discover where you fit.
On this programme, we’ll enhance and modernise traditional law practices together and make legal representation accessible to everyone. Legal Tech is on the frontline of defining what every part of law will look like in the future, and this programme will give you the opportunity to shape it.
COHORT
Our cohorts are small. By recruiting just four graduates each year, we’re able to offer you exposure to real responsibilities and challenges early on and help you to make a difference on a wide range of important projects. Small cohorts also make it more likely that our graduates will find a permanent role in their chosen area at the end of the programme.
TRAINING
It doesn’t matter if you’re unsure which area of technology you would like to specialise in. Our two-year programme offers you the opportunity to experience four 6-month rotational seats in a wide variety of areas, equipping you with the technical knowledge, industry awareness and variety of project experience needed to qualify for a future career at A&O Shearman.
CULTURE
We’re an established organisation with an entrepreneurial mindset. You’ll work within a start-up-like environment and try something new each day – all while encountering new challenges and problems your managers may not always have the answers to. That’s why we’ll give you the space to think and create new solutions, and help you feel empowered from day one.
DEVELOP
This role won’t be focused solely on technology, or a certain niche area or element of the industry. As a result, you’ll be able to gain a variety of transferable skills including project management and consultancy, as well as gain exposure to a broad range of technology.
INNOVATE
This is the perfect opportunity for someone with the ambition to be part of something from the very beginning. Law Tech is a new industry, and you will be given a unique opportunity to innovate your career and make your mark on an evolving area in its infancy.
What we look for
That’s why we welcome applicants from all universities with any degree. A STEM, Design, or Economics background might help you in this process-oriented role, but whichever subject you studied, curiosity and the confidence to ask questions will help you build a career on the Law Tech & Operations Programme.
We expect those successful in securing positions on this graduate scheme to be fully committed to the two-year programme. Please note that for business continuity reasons, we cannot accept applications from participants for vacation schemes or to transfer to any other graduate programme internally.
Academic qualifications
Our academic requirements are AAB (136 UCAS points) or equivalent at A-Level and on track for/achieved a 2:1 undergraduate degree. We require 7 GCSEs at grade 6 or above (including Maths and English). We do take into account mitigating circumstances, including those relating to a disability, which may have affected your grades either at school or university and there is a space on the application form to include these.
Skills to succeed
Curiosity
You want to find out more about the firm, our culture, the clients we work with and the sectors we operate in.
Organisation
Your ability to keep on top of your work and focus on the details helps you keep projects on track and succeeding.
Ambition
You’re determined to achieve a first-class legal career and tackle challenges along the way.
Innovation
You’re prepared and able to adapt to and are curious about tech and industry innovations.
Passion
We welcome applications from all graduates who are passionate about commercial law and innovation, regardless of the university they attended and the degree they earned
Working in Law Tech & Operations
This programme is on the frontline of defining what every part of law will look like in the future and will give you the opportunity to shape it.
These videos, originally produced under the A&O legacy, authentically showcase the experiences and opportunities synonymous with A&O Shearman.
What is Law Tech & Operations
From the start, you’ll play a pivotal role in our transformation as well as driving innovation. Hear from our people to get an insight into what the programme is all about and the opportunities it has to offer.
Career in Legal Tech
If you are someone who wants to be a part of an industry that’s at the cutting-edge of technology, this programme is for you. Hear from people at A&O Shearman on what their experience and highlights in the field of legal tech has been so far.
Why choose Law Tech & Operations
We’re investing in the fusion of technology and law to shape how the industry utilises the latest innovation. We provide our trainees with the skills, support and resources to succeed in re-defining the role of tech in law.
Application Process
The application process is designed to give you a platform to show us what you’re capable of and to set you up for success at A&O Shearman.
1. Online Application
This is your time to show us what you’re capable of. We are interested in your journey to date, your areas of interest and in particular, why this role appeals to you. In this stage, you will answer two short essay questions and detail your work and education history.
Please note, all applications will close at 5pm on the closing date.
2. Interviews
If your online application is successful, the next stage will be a Assessment Day composed of two one-on-one interviews.
The first interview will be on a case study, focused on the type of work you will be exposed to in this role. You will have time to work through a short brief and prepare a short presentation to deliver to your interviewer. This will be followed by a discussion on the key points from the case study.
In the second interview, you will be asked a series of questions based on scenarios you may encounter as a Law Tech & Operations graduate.
If you have any further questions on the A&O Shearman application process, or if you wish to discuss or report such a website, please contact us at earlycareersuk@aoshearman.com.
Then & Now
Our A&O Shearman Lawyers all started from somewhere. From all kinds of backgrounds. Through every stage of their life, from personal to professional and the challenges along the way, our lawyers look back on the journeys that got them where they are today.
These videos, originally produced under the A&O legacy, authentically showcase the experiences and opportunities synonymous with A&O Shearman.
Ghazi
Growing up in Jordan with a genetic condition, Ghazi learned to live life despite limitations. With the grades, curiosity and interest, there was nothing to lose and everything to gain. His story shows anything is possible.
Jennifer
Jennifer has experienced a world, career and life that she never thought would be in her reach. Hear how a summer school for low-income backgrounds changed Jennifer’s perspective on what she could achieve.
Mitch
Born in Nigeria, Mitch believes nothing is impossible. Now a partner at A&O Shearman and mum of three, she has surrounded herself with the right people and has had support from her family every step of the way.
Culture
Working here
We’re a firm investing in our people to excel in their legal careers while building a culture that harnesses our differences. Where you’re valued for who you are, as much as you’re valued for what you do.
We recruit the best and ask for the best of you, but that doesn’t come without support, mentorship, rewards and opportunities you couldn't find anywhere else.
If you’re looking for a first-class legal career, join us. And together we can excel.
Read more
