First Year Programme - London | A&O Shearman careers

Exceptional begins here

If you think a career in commercial law could be for you and are keen to find out more, there’s no better place to learn about the legal world than our first-year programme, in our transformational global firm.

Programme overview

What you'll gain

Our First-Year Programme is the start of your relationship with our firm. It’s a programme of two insight days across the year designed to give you access to employability sessions, a global network, insights about the firm and all the opportunities you need to decide whether a legal career at A&O Shearman is right for you.

What you'll do

This programme is packed full of insights, experiences and exposure to the challenging work we do through workshops and networking. During the scheme, we will help you boost the skills we look for in future trainees, such as technology and commercial awareness. You will see first-hand what it’s like to be part of our supportive community and get a sense of what is expected and what we could help you achieve when you join us.

Growth and development

As part of the scheme you will have:

Advice and guidance from our early careers recruitment team;
A two-day insight scheme in April and an assessment centre masterclass in September where we will immerse you in the firm and all our offerings;
Ongoing support from a trainee ‘buddy’;
Peer support - you will get to know students from other universities and degree disciplines also on the scheme; and
You will be fast tracked to an assessment centre for the summer vacation scheme.

What we look for

This programme gives you the opportunities you need to expand your skills across multiple areas. And the great thing is, there’s no one single type of person who succeeds here. Whether you’re determined, curious, resilient or open-minded - whoever you are - this programme is a chance for you to start your journey early and develop your legal expertise. You can earn your qualifications without the burden of tuition fees - and open the door to people from all academic and social backgrounds.

Skills to succeed

Below are the essential skills needed to thrive on this programme. From making meaningful contributions to our team and clients, to facing legal challenges, these skills will help you excel with us.

Drive
You’re prepared to tackle every challenge and overcome obstacles to achieve your goals.

Commitment
You see a future at our firm and have ambitions to thrive in a legal career as a first-class lawyer.

Curiosity
You want to find out more about the firm, our culture, the clients we work with and the sectors we operate in.

Programme details

Academic qualifications

We’re able to welcome students in their first year of a three-year (or second year of a four-year) undergraduate degree from any degree discipline, with AAB (or equivalent) at A-level and on track for a 2:1 at university. We require seven GCSEs at grade 6 or above (including Maths and English). We do take mitigating circumstances into account.

Personal skills

Drive, commitment and curiosity.

Application window

Applications open: Monday, January 4, 2027
Applications close: Monday, February 1, 2027, 5:00pm.

Scheme dates

Tuesday March 30, 2027–Wednesday, March 31, 2027.

Tips, insights and advice, direct from our team

Who better to learn from than the people already here? Our videos feature tips, insights and advice straight from our colleagues, helping you navigate applications, interviews and everything in between. Real people, real experiences, real advice to set you up for success.

Sophia’s first-year program deep dive

Early careers coordinator, Sophia, talks through how the first-year program gives students an early look at commercial law in practice.

Aastha

Aastha has been supported to develop and nurture her passion for art at A&O Shearman. She believes being creative has helped her become a better lawyer.

Application process

Online application

The online application form is your first opportunity to show us what you’re capable of, so be sure to pay attention to detail and think about the examples you use and whether they demonstrate the skills and attributes we are looking for.

Situational Judgement Test

You will then be prompted to complete an immersive, video-based Situational Judgement Test (SJT), which includes verbal and numerical reasoning items. The test is untimed and should take around 30-40 minutes. The SJT is designed to provide a realistic preview of what you may experience as a trainee at A&O Shearman.

Video interview

If your application is successful, the next stage will be a video interview, which should take no longer than 30 minutes and will include a brief commercial case study.

Offer

After your interviews, we will review your performance and aim to get back to you with a decision as quickly as possible.

Regardless of the outcome, we’re committed to providing constructive feedback on your interview performance to help you going forward in your career.

A word of caution

There are a number of websites purporting to provide free samples of A&O Shearman application forms and assessment questions, including questions from our online experience. A&O Shearman takes cases of plagiarism and copyright extremely seriously.

We strongly caution applicants against using, or paying for, unofficial sources claiming to provide information on the A&O Shearman application process. We encourage every potential candidate to review our website for details of our application process and a sample SJT.