Law Tech and Operations Graduate Programme

Find your place in the future of Tech

The future of law isn’t just about legal knowledge. It’s about how technology, data, and innovation transform the way the world’s most complex work gets done. This is your chance to be at the centre of that transformation.

Programme overview

The LawTech & Operations Graduate Programme is a two-year scheme that sits at the heart of our Innovation and Legal Technology strategy, which is reshaping how legal services are conceived, built, and delivered globally.

From day one, you’ll be embedded in teams that are actively building the future: designing AI-powered tools, reimagining legal workflows, working directly with clients, and collaborating with developers, lawyers, data scientists, and product managers.

Across four six-month rotational seats, you’ll gain an extraordinary breadth of experience spanning innovation, delivery, and legal technology - developing skills that position you at the cutting edge of a profession undergoing fundamental change.

What you’ll gain

Deep, hands-on experience across legal technology, process innovation, and operations
Direct exposure to AI product development, data analytics, and digital transformation
A rare combination of technical, commercial, and legal skills that the market increasingly demands
A professional network spanning lawyers, technologists, clients, and senior leadership
A strong pathway to future career opportunities in one of the fastest-growing areas of the legal profession

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 and innovation 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 GBP38,000 in the first year of the programme (increasing in the second year).

Work experience

The Rotational Seats

You’ll complete four six-month seats over the two-year programme. Each rotation is designed to stretch your thinking, build distinct capabilities, and give you genuine ownership of meaningful work.

Programme details

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 seven GCSEs at grade 6 or above (including Maths and English).

Personal skills

Curiosity, organisation, ambition, innovation, passion.

Salary

Year one: GBP38,000 p.a.
Year two: GBP43,500 p.a.

Application window

Applications open: Monday 14th December 2026
Applications close: Monday 1st February 2027

Scheme dates

August / September 2027 (exact date TBC).

Core seats

Every graduate completes these two foundational rotations.

Markets Innovation Group (MIG)

This is where legal expertise meets product thinking. MIG develops lawyer-led technology solutions - tools like ContractMatrix, Harvey, Copilot - that transform how legal work is done. You’ll combine legal knowledge, data, and commercial insight to research client challenges, support product design and testing, build new workflows to change the way our teams work and communicate complex solutions to both lawyers and clients.

You’ll see first-hand how AI innovation is translated into practical tools for drafting, analysis, negotiation, and strategic decision-making - and you’ll play an active role in making that happen.

This seat puts you at the heart of the firm’s AI strategy.

Legal Process Improvement (LPI)

Think of this seat as the catalyst for legal transformation. LPI helps legal teams redesign the way they work, combining legal operations, process improvement, technology and change management to deliver better outcomes for lawyers and clients.

You'll work on a diverse range of initiatives, from implementing legal technology and AI-enabled workflows to designing operating models, improving matter delivery, and helping clients build more effective legal functions. Working closely with stakeholders across the firm and with clients, you'll analyse current ways of working, identify opportunities for improvement, and develop practical solutions that drive efficiency, consistency and value.

This seat develops the structured thinking, commercial awareness and problem-solving skills that underpin modern legal innovation and transformation.

Additional seats

Depending on your cohort, you’ll complete two of the following.

eDiscovery

Step into the world of investigations and disputes. eDiscovery uses cutting-edge technology to help legal teams manage vast volumes of information, identify critical facts, and protect sensitive material. You’ll support early case assessment, organise document review workflows, and work with AI tools that surface themes, timelines, and evidence at scale.

This is data-led case preparation at its most sophisticated - where technology meets legal strategy.

FUSE

FUSE is A&O Shearman’s legal tech incubator - a launchpad for emerging legal technology. Here, you’ll engage directly with LegalTech companies, explore emerging technologies, and work on client-led innovation themes. You’ll research market trends, support events and workshops, and facilitate collaboration between lawyers, clients, and technology pioneers.

This seat gives you a panoramic view of the wider legal technology ecosystem and where it’s heading.

Legal Project Management

Support the coordination of the firm’s most complex matters - managing timelines, workstreams, stakeholders, and risk. You’ll develop skills in structured planning and efficient legal delivery that are prized across every area of professional services.

Legal Tech

Work at the frontier of product development, testing, training, and governance. Understand how legal knowledge is built into technology and how responsible AI can fundamentally improve legal service delivery.

Innovation

Gain hands-on experience in legal innovation, AI adoption and business transformation. You’ll support on innovation projects in practice groups, helping embed AI and legal technology into legal workflows and tracking the impact of technology solutions.

MORE DETAILS ON LEGAL INNOVATION

Peerpoint

Explore the future of flexible legal resourcing. Peerpoint connects clients with consultant lawyers to meet changing demands - building agile talent models that support in-house teams and long-term relationships. You’ll gain insight into how the market for legal talent is evolving and what that means for the profession.

"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."
Shruti HEAD OF FUSE

People working together in a professional office environment

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.

You may also gain experience in different legal practice areas, such as disputes or global financial 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.

Your pathway to success

If you’re fascinated by tech and its potential to make a difference, this programme is for you. Law tech and Innovation 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.

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 six-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 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.

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.

Chris’ law tech deep dive

Chris shares how our law tech and operations graduate programme gives creative thinkers a hands-on path to shape the future of legal services.

Sabina’s law tech deep dive

Sabina shares her experience of the law tech and operations graduate programme.

Jenny’s law tech deep dive

Jenny: law tech and operations graduate programme.

What is law tech and 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 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 have been like so far.

Why choose law tech and operations?

We’re investing in the fusion of technology and law to shape how the industry utilises the latest innovations. We provide our trainees with the skills, support and resources to succeed in re-defining the role of tech in law.

Application process

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. At this stage, you will answer two short essay questions and detail your work and education history.

Please note, all applications will close at 5:00pm on the closing date.

Interviews

If your online application is successful, the next stage will be an assessment day comprised of two one-on-one interviews.

The first interview will be based 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 LawTech and Innovation graduate.

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.