Summer Vacation Scheme
A&O ShearmanExpected closing date: Monday, 9 November 2026
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Key Takeaways
- Two-week Summer Vacation Scheme for penultimate year students.
- Gain practical legal experience and develop skills at a global law firm.
- Potential to secure a training contract.
- Applications close 09 November 2026.
About the Role
About the Scheme
Our two-week Summer Vacation Scheme is for penultimate year students only from any degree discipline. This is a unique opportunity, designed to show you exactly what it’s like to tackle exciting challenges every day in an industry-leading law firm.
What You'll Do
You’ll have the chance to develop real and valuable skills and experience global success as part of our friendly, supportive and dynamic culture. Throughout the scheme, you’ll have a range of learning tools at your disposal that will show you what it takes to excel as an international commercial lawyer.
Benefits
- Gain hands-on experience in an industry-leading law firm.
- Develop practical skills and knowledge.
- Receive mentorship from experienced legal professionals.
- Potential to secure a training contract and further your career with us based on your vacation scheme performance.
Requirements
- Students in their penultimate year of study from any degree discipline.
- Minimum grades of AAB (136 UCAS points) or equivalent at A-Level, and on-track for/achieved a 2:1 undergraduate degree.
- We also require 7 GCSEs at grade 6 or above (including maths and English).
- Mitigating circumstances will be taken into account.
Skills
To set yourself apart from the competition and to succeed in our high-performing firm, you’ll need to be:
- Open-minded
- Innovative
- Collaborative
- Critical thinker
Application Process
- Online Application: Submit an online application detailing your work and education history.
- Online Experience: Complete an online experience including verbal and numerical reasoning items and two short video motivation questions. This is untimed and should take around 45 minutes.
- You can only make one application per recruitment cycle.
- All parts of the online experience must be completed and submitted by the deadline.
Key Dates
- Applications Open: 14 September 2026
- Applications Close: 09 November 2026 (5pm UK Time)
- Scheme Dates: 5 to 16 July 2027
- Assessment Days: Week commencing 7 December 2026
Please note that we do not recruit on a rolling basis. All applications will be reviewed after the deadline, and you should expect to hear from us after this.