Bar Traineeship 2026 NEW

A&O Shearman is a new global industry-leading law firm, with nearly 50 offices in 29 countries worldwide. Our fluency in English law, US law, and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets, enables us to provide unmatched insight and seamless delivery to clients. We work on challenging and important deals and disputes that have the potential to shape the future.
 
We offer exceptional opportunities for our people; opportunities to work for the world’s leading businesses; to transform the status quo, and to deliver your best work,  helping you and your career to thrive, while delivering unparalleled outcomes for our clients.
 
Whether you’re helping clients solve complex challenges, transforming the ways we manage our business, or ensuring the smooth-running of our operations, this is an environment where you can belong and excel. We provide first-rate training and development, we are committed to an inclusive environment and we provide support and ways of working that help you optimise your wellbeing.
 
What truly defines a career with us? We recruit the best and ask for the best of you. And together, we will redefine success.
 

Bar Traineeship – September/October 2026

Training contract
A&O Shearman Belgium is currently looking for trainees to support its business in Brussels and Antwerp:

Mergers & Acquisitions (Brussels/Antwerp)
Antitrust (Brussels)
Litigation & Investigations (Brussels/Antwerp)
Debt Finance (Brussels/Antwerp)
Financial Services Regulatory & Capital Markets (Brussels/Antwerp)
Real Estate (Brussels/Antwerp)
Digital, Data, IP & Technology (Brussels/Antwerp)
Environmental, Administrative & Regulatory (Brussels)
Employment Litigation (Brussels/Antwerp)
Tax (Brussels)

What we look for

You obtained or will obtain a Belgian Master in Law with outstanding academic results;
You will be graduating in 2026 and/or you wish to start your Bar traineeship in the fall of 2026;
You have excellent language skills (English/French/Dutch);
You like to work in a team but are equally able to work independently as required; 
You have excellent written and verbal communication skills. 

Rewards & Benefits

You will be a part of a well-integrated team that works on high profile Belgian and international matters;
We offer a dynamic work environment and the opportunity to be a part of a leading international law firm;
We make a long-term commitment towards our lawyers. We offer a variety of interesting work and the opportunity to work with other departments and in an interdisciplinary way, both in Belgium and internationally;
You will be a part of a dynamic team, closely involved in both cross-departmental and cross-border transactions and cases, backed up by regular team meetings which enable the team to share relevant experience in an efficient way;  
We run national and international secondment programmes to allow the lawyers to work with other departments, other people and to be exposed to the different cultures that the firm encompasses.
We offer dedicated local and global training programmes and also organise professional training on communication, IT skills, management and business development skills;
You will have the support of specialist know-how lawyers and have access to dedicated support staff and support systems.

Application window
Please upload your application by clicking ‘apply for job’. Thank you for adding your CV, cover letter and Bachelor and Master transcripts to support your application. Please do not hesitate to contact Tamara Nouwen (tamara.nouwen@aoshearman.com) in case you would need any advice on the application process or if it would be helpful to speak to any of our current trainees.

Please note that a Belgian law degree and/or (future) qualification are required for most of our departments. For our Antitrust practice, we welcome applications from any (future) EU-qualified lawyer. We kindly encourage you to clarify your areas of interest and qualification plans in your cover letter.