Innovation Graduate Scheme

Welcome to Addleshaw Goddard - an international law firm, almost 250 years in the making. We’re trusted by over 3000 major organisations, including 51 FTSE 100 companies, to solve problems, deliver deals, defend rights, comply with regulations and mitigate risk. Our work spans more than 50 areas of business law, paving the way to deliver the best possible outcomes for clients across multiple industries.

Appointed time and again, we help them do business, operate and grow - effectively and safely - in over 100 countries worldwide. And while the challenges our clients bring us may vary, we approach and solve them with the same, single-minded focus: finding the smartest way to achieve the biggest impact.

From the work we do to the culture we foster and the partnerships we form, every last part of Addleshaw Goddard is driven by three core values: quality, imagination, and impact.

We welcome everyone, support people to achieve their full potential, and always seek smart ways to have a positive impact – for our clients, colleagues, and communities around the world.

Addleshaw Goddard's Business Services and Innovation team are an exciting place to begin and shape your career as a graduate. All teams work closely with each other and with the four core legal groups, playing an integral role in the delivery of a premium service to our clients.

Wherever you join us – in IT, BD & Marketing, HR or Innovation you will find yourself working within a fast-paced, innovative environment.

Innovation Graduate Scheme

Innovation is part of our DNA and our passion is driven by our clients. We're proud to be listed as one of the most innovative Law firms in Europe.

The 2-year Innovation Graduate Scheme focuses on equipping you with the skills needed to lead innovation in a rapidly changing legal industry. Through the Scheme, you will develop problem-solving skills, learn new technologies as well as gaining experience from client engagements.

You will rotate within our specialist Innovation Group teams which include AG Consulting, Innovation and Legal Technology, Managed Legal Services and Research and Knowledge Services. Working on a diverse range of projects, you will directly contribute and add value while gaining broad exposure to how innovation drives change across the legal industry.

Innovation Placement Scheme

As part of our recruitment process for the Innovation Graduate Scheme, we offer a paid Placement Scheme (7th – 11th April 2025) which provides a unique insight into our Innovation Group and the chance to demonstrate your skills in a dynamic, real-world setting.

Why the Placement Scheme Matters

This one-week scheme will be held in our Manchester office (and potentially in our Leeds office, dependent on candidate numbers in these locations). It's designed to give you an insider's view of what it’s like working within our Innovation Group, providing the perfect opportunity to showcase your skills and how well you align with our team.

Participation in the Placement Scheme is highly valued, offering you a unique opportunity to engage with our team. A number of Innovation Graduate scheme places will be offered to successful candidates upon the completion of the Placement Scheme.

The Innovation Graduate Schemes will be located in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds & Manchester, whereas the Placement Scheme opportunities will be taking place in our Manchester office (and potentially in our Leeds office, depending on candidate numbers in these locations). Applications close on 31 January 2025 .

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at Addleshaw Goddard

At Addleshaw Goddard, we recognise the importance of nurturing an inclusive culture to help us attract, retain and enable our people to be the best they can be.

In 2020 we introduced a new, Board approved inclusion strategy, which included:

• Allocating senior leadership roles across 5 key strands of inclusion (Disability, Ethnicity, Gender, LGBTQ+ and Social Mobility), including senior partners and business services leads.
• The setting of targets for ethnicity and gender across our business.
• The setting of short-, medium- and long-term goals to keep us accountable.

Since 2020 we have kept our strategy under review to ensure that it remains ambitious and reflects the needs of our people. And hope that this strategic approach will create greater equality within our firm and foster a greater sense of belonging amongst our people.

Now in 2024, our commitment to DE&I remains firm. We've invested heavily in our employee networks (which now have nearly 700 members) which include:

• Ability Forum (disability and carers)
• AG Embrace (race and ethnicity)
• OpenAG (LGBTQ+)
• The Vine (gender)
• Social Mobility Volunteers (social mobility)

We also have two faith networks (our Muslim and Jewish communities) which colleagues can join.