西瓜视频

First Year Insight Scheme Review

by A&O Shearman

Best Student Employer

Rating

4.8/5
  • Skills
    4.8
  • Business Insight
    4.7
  • Culture
    5.0
  • Your Impressions
    5.0

    Overview

  • 1. Please give an overview of the insight and what was involved on a day-to-day basis.
  • In A&O Shearman's 2-day insight scheme, as an attendee I partook in a vast range of workshops, talks, panels and Q&A sessions and networked with employees at the firm and fellow attendees. Some highlights included the 'Role of a Lawyer' workshop where myself and my peers worked through a fictional scenario, and the Introduction to Disputes Panel which covered aspects of three of the firm鈥檚 practice areas: arbitration, IP litigation and employment law.


    Skills

  • 2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
  • Yes. My commercial acumen was greatly improved by my participation in the scheme as I was challenged to consider how a lawyer could utilise their commercial awareness to build rapport with and provide the best results for their client. Additionally, I developed my personal awareness and branding skills through listening to [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyPlacement Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions] inspirational talk on how she persevered against the face of adversity and achieved career success at Lloyds Bank.


  • How would you rate the training provided during your experience?
  • 5/5

  • How would you rate the knowledge learned around industry-specific skills during the experience?
  • 5/5

  • How would you rate the knowledge learned around personal or professional skills during the experience?
  • 5/5

  • Please rate how the knowledge learned has helped you with regards to your career development
  • 4/5

    Business Insight

  • 3. What was it like understanding all about the business and potential roles available?
  • I found it really interesting to have practice-area specific panels and discussions to make me aware of the different specialisations trainee lawyers at the firm can consider. [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyPlacement Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions] presentation on the Markets Innovation Group was insightful, especially as to the firm鈥檚 ContractMatrix contract negotiation tool which grounds AI in trusted precedents to produce the best reasoning and conceptual ideas in contract drafting. A highlight was a visit to the firm鈥檚 Fuse sector, where we gained an understanding of how the technology incubator assists legal tech startups and integrates them into legal work.


  • Please rate how insightful you found the insight
  • 5/5

  • How would you rate the structure of the insight
  • 4/5

  • How would you rate business leader involvement during the insight
  • 5/5

    Culture

  • 4. What was the company culture and general atmosphere like?
  • Everyone that I encountered at the firm, from partners to trainees, were incredibly friendly and welcoming and keen to answer any questions that arose. I loved the sound of the firm's innovative culture and the focus on tech, which is fostered by the Fuse technology incubator. [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyPlacement Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions] and the rest of the early careers team were warm and welcoming and went to every effort to make me feel supported throughout the scheme.


  • How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?
  • 5/5

  • How would you rate the networking opportunities?
  • 5/5

  • Please rate how valued you felt during your insight?
  • 5/5

    Your Impressions

  • 5. To what extent did you enjoy the insight?
  • I very much enjoyed the insight scheme. My cohort were all very friendly which enhanced my enjoyment a lot and social events were implemented to ensure we all felt comfortable around eachother. As well as this, the talks were engaging and came from a range of people around the firm who were all able to offer a different perspective of their experience at AOS. I loved the feel of life in a big City law firm and the office was amazing as well.


  • Please rate your level of enjoyment on the insight
  • 5/5

  • Please rate how your experience met your expectations
  • 5/5

  • Please rate the future employment prospects at A&O Shearman
  • 5/5

  • 7. Would you recommend A&O Shearman to a friend?
  • Yes


  • 8. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to A&O Shearman
  • I would advise others applying to AOS to include authenticity in their applications and really consider their reasons for entering commercial law beyond the typical reasons given on application forms. I would also remind them not to be nervous for the video interview stage of the process as all of the early careers team are so friendly and welcoming and endeavour to make the interview process as seamless as possible for you!


    Report this review

Details

Insight / Vacation Scheme (< 4 Weeks)

Commercial Law, Corporate Law, Legal/Law

London

April 2025


View More Reviews