Step Into Law 2025

A&O Shearman is a new global industry-leading law firm, with 48 offices in 28 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.

Step Into Law 2025 

A&O Shearman’s Step Into Law programme is an interactive, inclusive, and insightful series of workshops and group mentoring sessions for year 13 students from less advantaged backgrounds who are interested in pursuing a career in the commercial law sector. Over the course of five sessions across two weeks in July and August, participants will become a part of a small working group with a dedicated mentor from A&O Shearman. The first 3 sessions will take place online and the final session will take place in person in the A&O Shearman London office. Participants will hear from a wide range of A&O Sherman employees from across the firm including Partners, Associates, Trainees, our Early Careers Recruitment team and our Training and Development team, to help them understand more about the legal sector, enhance their employability skills, identify their strengths and learn how to excel at applications, assessment centres and interviews. There are also several opportunities to network with firm employees and fellow participants to ask questions in an informal and relaxed setting.  
 
At A&O Shearman we recognise that our social background frames our life experiences and that is why we created our Accelerate programme to enable year 13 students who are from less advantaged social backgrounds to explore routes into the legal sector. To be eligible to apply all applicants must:  
 
• have always attended a state-funded or non-fee-paying school  
• come from a household where no parent or guardian has a qualification from a UK university  
• be a UK national or EU national with settled status in the UK by the time they apply for university  
 
Applicants must also meet one of the following additional criteria:   
 
• receive, or have previously received free school meals, Education Maintenance Allowance or a 16 to 19 Bursary Fund  
• have parent(s)/guardian(s) who receive income support or housing benefits  
• be or have been in local authority care (for at least three months)  
• be or have been a full-time or part-time young carer  
• come to the UK as a refugee or asylum seeker  
• be attending a school or college with:  
• below average A-Level or Scottish Highers points score, and/or  
• a low rate of progression to higher education  
 
Academic Eligibility  
 
To apply to Accelerate applicants must have minimum predicted grades of AAB at A level or equivalent (e.g. International Baccalaureate or BTEC) and be 18 years old by the time of the programme.  
 
Application window:   

Monday 6 January – 28 February 2025