A&O First Review

by A&O Shearman

Best Student Employer

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

4.7/5
  • About You
    5.0
  • The Company
    4.7
  • Everything Else
    4.4

    About You

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy the insight?
  • Through A&O First I gained a much deeper insight into Commercial law and Allen &a Overy itself. I shadowed a trainee in Banking and was able to practice drafting a confidentiality agreement.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued during your time at the company or firm?
  • Through both Smart Start and A&O First I have felt extremely valued by Allen & Overy. The graduate recruitment team always made me feel welcome and emphasised that they saw massive potential in all of the A&O First participants.

    5/5

  • 3. How much guidance/support did you receive during the insight?
  • The support and guidance I received on application advice was great. The graduate recruitment team went through the application question by question and highlighter exactly what they were looking for.

    5/5

  • 4. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and information you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • I developed my networking skills throughout A&O First which is a key skill now and in the future. I was also able to draft a mock confidentiality agreement which my buddy gave me detailed feedback on.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 5. How well structured was the insight?
  • The structure was great. On both session the time was utilised very well and the days were both worthwhile.

    5/5

  • 6. How was the general atmosphere during your insight?
  • The atmosphere at A&O is amazing every time I have visited, not just on the A&O First programme. Everyone who works at A&O makes a real effort to share their genuine views with me and I feel very comfortable around everyone I have met at the firm.

    5/5

  • 7. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • As a firm, A&O has invested so much time and effort in me and for that I am very grateful. I have spent many hours at A&O through Smart Start and A&O First and have received bountiful training ranging from personal development to interview skills. I have developed so much as person while being at A&O and I definitely feel like I have grown up here over the past three years. I feel very loyal to A&O for everything they have done for me and I hope to become a trainee here and continue where my journey started.

    5/5

  • 8. To what extent did the insight help you to understand what it would be like to have a full time role with the company or firm?
  • I really enjoyed shadowing my trainee buddy for a few hours, however I think that this should have been for a longer period of time. It would have been better if we could have shadowed trainees in a few different practice areas to get a real feel for more than one practice area.

    4/5

  • 9. How much did the insight help you in understanding the company culture?
  • I knew a lot about A&O's culture through Smart Start, and A&O First really confirmed this. A&O is a very friendly firm and everyone I have met has made a real effort to make me feel welcome. I definitely see myself fitting into to A&O, which is not something that I have felt at some of the other firms that I have visited.

    5/5

  • 10. How valuable was the content in helping you to decide on your future career path?
  • The content was great and reaffirmed my decision that I want to be an international commercial lawyer. I gained a real insight into life at A&O which again confirmed my aim of being a lawyer here. Shadowing a trainee really helped me see what life as a lawyer at A&O is really like

    4/5

    Everything Else

  • 11. Were you paid or reimbursed adequately for this experience?

  • 12. Were there opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of the company or firm?
  • There were many opportunities to network such as the speed networking session on the first day of A&O First, and networking with lawyers over lunch on the final day. I think that networking is the best way for students to get a real deal for the type of people at the firm and if they would enjoy working here.

    5/5

  • 13. How were the networking/ social event opportunities?
  • I would have really liked an evening activity on one of the days, to network in a more relaxed setting. I gained a lot of information through the networking sessions and I really like that everyone I spoke to at A&O gave me their honest opinion and did not sugarcoat anything.

    4/5

  • 14. Did you find out about activities that employees can get involved in outside of work?
  • Networking often focused around what legal work they had been doing and why they chose A&O. Perhaps if networking sessions were longer or more relaxed in the evening I could have found it more about this. Alternatively it may be a good idea to hold a panel interview session and ensure that one of the questions is about activities outside of work.

    4/5

  • 15. Would you recommend this insight to a friend?
  • Absolutely, it was an amazing and worthwhile experience! Both programmes that I have participated in at A&O have had a massive impact on my career decisions and have helped me grow as a person. The graduate recruitment team at A&O are keen to ensure that participants develop skills which will be useful for many careers and at many different firms, thus do not overly-promote A&O and instead let the participants decide for themselves if they would like to work at A&O.

    5/5

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Details

Insight / Vacation Scheme (< 4 Weeks)

London

September 2016


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