One of the things our trainees value most about being at Allen & Overy is the excellent award-winning training they receive. In each seat you will sit with a partner or associate who will provide you with support and guidance, and you will take an active and practical role in the department's work, with plenty of individual responsibility along the way.
As well as learning practical skills such as drafting, transaction management, negotiation, research and legal and office procedures, the experience you gain as a trainee will develop your professional conduct including negotiation and communication with clients and colleagues.
Alongside your departmental work, you will complete the Professional Skills Course which consists of three compulsory modules: client care and professional standards, advocacy and communication skills, and financial and business skills, plus elective modules specific to our needs, such as financial economics, client interviewing skills and negotiating a deal. Another advantage of training at A&O is the opportunity to learn from some of the world's top lawyers. As well as regular departmental training and updates, trainees can attend client seminars delivered by our partners and associates.
All of this is supported by our impressive in-house training, which covers a broad range of legal and personal skills. Personal development is highly valued at A&O and we offer a wide range of formal and informal training, from a lunchtime seminar on how to develop your business skills or time management, to a one-to-one session at your PC with an IT trainer. Foreign language training is also available if there is a business need.
Training does not stop on qualification. We run many courses to help you develop not just as a lawyer but also developing personal and business skills.
Newly qualified associates attend the SRA's Law Management course which gives an interesting insight into the basic principles of people management and business awareness. These skills are then expanded on in the first two modules of our bespoke global Associate Development programme where you will be joined on these regular residential courses by colleagues from around the world. As you progress in the firm, the training is there to help. Later modules focus on managing client relationships and wider issues involved in starting to manage a personal practice within an existing practice group. All associates are also able to attend a variety of "Transactional/Legal Skills" courses, designed to give them the skills they need to be a successful fee-earner. These include Presentation Skills, Negotiation Skills, Pitching for Business, Selling Skills, Commercial Awareness, and Drafting. Many of these build on the training developed during the PSC/training contract.
Individual practice groups run a "university" each year which focuses on specific technical skills and knowledge, to which all newly qualified associates are invited. Our practice groups also hold regular training sessions to look at updating your knowledge in the area in which you are working.
Finally, the firm-wide seminar programme is an excellent way to keep abreast of the latest legal developments. This series of one hour lectures cover a variety of current legal issues and hot topics. The series, consisting of 25-35 lectures, runs four times per year, at both of our London offices, and is open to anyone firm-wide