Graduates
London Recruitment
Overview
The London office of Dewey & LeBoeuf is the firm's second largest international office with over 180 legal staff. We offer a full service corporate practice and advise a wide range of clients, including multinational corporations, financial institutions, governments, and state-owned entities, with interests in the UK and throughout Europe, Russia and the CIS, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the US.
Dewey & LeBoeuf London is characterised by market-leading practice groups, such as banking, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, project finance, dispute resolution, arbitration, intellectual property, EU/competition, tax, real estate, environmental and employment. The firm possesses leading industry experience in sectors including insurance, energy and utilities, environment and banking.
Apply online for a training contract 2010/2011 or vacation scheme/open day 2009.
Download a copy of our
graduate recruitment brochure.
Dowload details of our
salary and benefits package.
Read excerpts from
The Chambers Student Guide 2009 (The True Picture).
Training Contracts
Culturally, the firm aims to combine a dynamic and energetic atmosphere with a congenial and supportive environment. The London office offers trainees the benefits of working with the quality of clients and work usually found only in the largest firms, but in a smaller office setting. It is a very international and cosmopolitan office with a diverse range of people.
The People
We want outstanding people in the broadest possible sense. We welcome applications from people with varied and unusual backgrounds. Interpersonal skills are very important; we like confident, bright, engaging people. The London office is international in outlook. All candidates must be fluent in English, but additional language skills are highly valued. In particular, we are interested in candidates with French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic language capabilities.
Our trainees have a strong academic background, including a minimum of a 2:1 degree in an academic subject from a leading university and AAB at A level or equivalent. We actively encourage applications from both law and other backgrounds. We also encourage applications from graduates already undertaking their GDL or LPC, who have chosen to take the 'City' LPC electives.
We like talented, motivated people who have commercial awareness and a genuine enthusiasm for the law, coupled with a desire to learn more. Our trainees are proactive people who are able to show initiative from day one.
The Work
We encourage our trainees to see and experience as much of our practice as possible. To this end, trainees have the opportunity to spend six months in four different areas. At least one seat will be spent in each of our mainstream practice areas of corporate and dispute resolution. We also offer seats within our capital markets, finance, projects, energy, insurance regulatory, international arbitration, employment, competition, IP/IT, real estate and tax groups.
Opportunities for overseas travel often arise in the context of specific matters and we regularly second trainees to clients or other Dewey & LeBoeuf offices such as Moscow, Dubai and Paris. We plan to expand the secondment programme for both trainees and associates over the next few years.
Due to the limited number of training contracts offered (15 for 2011), you can expect to be exposed to high quality work with early responsibility. In each seat, you will train with a partner or senior associate who will supervise your work, though you should expect to be given assignments by a number of different lawyers in your practice area.
We have had a trainee solicitor programme in London for more than ten years and a good number of our senior associates trained with the firm. This has given our London office a solid foundation for growth.
Training and Feedback
Training
Due to our relatively small trainee intake, we are able to deliver a first rate training programme which is tailored to individual and departmental needs.
All of our trainees will spend their first week with the firm on our intensive induction programme. We then run the "core elements" of the Practical Skills Course (PSC) in-house.
As a trainee with the firm, you can expect to participate in regular training sessions and attend internal seminars and external courses. You will also attend weekly departmental "trainee training" meetings, which are run by our associates and provide practical insights into relevant legal issues.
We encourage trainees to take part in pro bono work, which provides excellent hands-on learning opportunities and a rewarding experience for trainees who are keen to take part. Learn more about our
pro bono work.
Having run a trainee solicitor programme in the London office since 1996, some of our "home grown" senior associates are now key players in trainee training, supervision and in our pro bono committee.
Feedback
Progress is formally monitored every three months at mid-seat and end-of-seat appraisals. We use the appraisal process to track our trainees' development as lawyers and to identify training needs. However, trainees are encouraged to seek feedback throughout their training contract from each of the lawyers for whom they work. Our trainees also keep a training diary to record their training, learning and development.
The Future
Our aim is to retain all our trainees. We maintain a very high trainee retention rate and plan to recruit trainees who will become our future senior associates and partners. The final decision as to which practice area a trainee qualifies into is generally taken about four months or so before qualification. In the first two or three years after qualification, our lawyers are encouraged to gain experience in a broad range of work without specialising too early. As experience grows, junior associates typically develop an enthusiasm for particular specialisations, which they will be encouraged to develop.
The Salary
In recognition of the contribution we expect our trainees to make to the firm, we offer a competitive salary of £40,000 in the first year and £45,000 in the second year, together with an attractive benefits package. Course fees and an annual maintenance grant of £8,500 are paid for GDL and LPC students. Starting salary on qualification is £80,000 plus discretionary performance-related bonus.
Vacation Scheme
Dewey & LeBoeuf offers an insight into being a trainee at the firm in the form of our vacation scheme. This offers a great introduction to Dewey & LeBoeuf. Our hope is that those participating in the scheme will become trainees with the firm.
The atmosphere is open and friendly and over an intensive fortnight you will be working alongside partners and associates, as well as attending training and presentations. Applications for the summer vacation scheme are welcomed from penultimate year law students, final year non-law students and graduates of all disciplines. We pay £400 per week to cover your costs.
Apply online for a spring or summer vacation scheme 2009. The closing date for applications will be 31 January 2009.
Diversity
Dewey & LeBoeuf is committed to promoting equality and diversity in its own policies, practices and procedures, and in those areas in which it has influence. This applies to the firm's professional dealings with staff and partners, other solicitors, barristers, clients and third parties. The firm intends to treat everyone equally and with the same attention, courtesy, and respect regardless of their disability, gender, age, marital status, race, racial group, colour, ethnic or national origin, nationality, religion or beliefs, or sexual orientation.
With greater diversity we can be more innovative, effective and representative of our client base and bring more varied perspectives, experiences, backgrounds and the widest pool of talent into our firm.
A diverse group of talented and versatile legal professionals is critically important to our success. Diversity is not about quotas, "positive discrimination" or different standards being applied to different categories of applicant. However, the opportunity to foster diversity is an important consideration in our recruitment process. We aim to recruit, retain and promote our own lawyers based on our own criteria, while at the same time maintaining our commitment to diversity in the legal profession. To this end, we will ensure that the philosophy and principles of diversity play an integral part in our recruitment and retention of solicitors and in the promotion of talented individuals within our firm.
Dewey & LeBoeuf was recognised by the Vault Guide to the Top 50 Law Firms 2008 (UK Edition) and ranked No.2 for diversity in relation to minorities, No. 3 with respect to GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender) and No. 10 for diversity with respect to women. Our London office was also ranked No. 4 for associate diversity by the Black Solicitors Network in its UK top law firms 2007 research.
We are proud of our diversity and we continue to work with the following organisations in order to help ensure our future diversity and success:
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Stonewall (Diversity Champions programme)
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The National Mentoring Consortium
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Black Solicitors Network (in relation to our Summer Vacation Scheme)
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SEO London
Contact Us
To send us a query via email, please contact us at You may also call us on +44 207 459 5000 and ask for the graduate recruitment team.