Ashurst LLP

Introduction

Ashurst LLP is an elite law firm advising corporates and financial institutions, with core businesses in mergers and acquisitions, corporate and structured finance. Our strong and growing presence around the world is built on extensive experience in working with our clients on the complex international legal and regulatory issues relating to cross-border transactions. It is only through selective recruitment that we can maintain the Ashurst culture and the high quality and consistency of our service. And our vision? To be the legal adviser of choice to the world’s most ambitious organisations.

Culture

Ashurst lawyers are radical thinkers who are not afraid to push the boundaries of established practice. Bright people who understand how to turn obstacles into advantages. And we are quite informal for a firm of lawyers. That’s because we keep bureaucracy to a minimum and work in a lively, open environment where everyone enjoys what they do. We believe that this sets us apart. Above all, we are dedicated team players, focused on providing our clients with an extraordinary level of service. We do more than that, though. We develop real friendships with our clients and get to know them as people.

Areas of practice

Our main areas of practice are in Competition and EU Law; Corporate; Employment, Incentives and Pensions; Energy, Transport and Infrastructure; International Finance; Litigation; Real Estate; Tax; and Technology and Commercial.

Attributes and skills

To become an Ashurst trainee, you will need to show common sense and good judgement. We need to know that you can handle responsibility because you will be involved in some of the highest quality international work on offer anywhere. We 24 offices in 14 countries, as well as an associated office in Jakarta and a best-friend referral relationship with an Indian law firm and high profile multinational clients, so you will need to demonstrate you can bring an international perspective to your work. The transactions and cases you will be involved in will be intellectually demanding, so we are looking for high academic achievers who are able to think laterally. But it’s not just academic results that matter. We want people who have a range of interests outside of their studies. And we want outgoing people with a sense of humour who know how to laugh at themselves.

Training

Your training contract will consist of four seats. For each, you will sit with a partner or senior solicitor who will be the main source of your work and your principal supervisor during that seat. You will, however, be encouraged to work with a variety of solicitors during the course of your training. Seats are generally for six months. Anything less than that will not give you sufficient depth of experience for the responsibility we expect you to take on. We ask trainees to spend one seat in our Corporate department and one seat in our International Finance department. Trainees spend their two remaining seats in our other practice areas, on secondment to one of our international offices or on secondment to a client.