About the Company

Allen & Overy Shearman is a leading global law firm formed from the merger of two prestigious legal entities, Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling. This union combines the strengths and expertise of both firms to offer comprehensive legal services across various practice areas, including corporate law, finance, litigation, and arbitration. With a commitment to excellence, innovation, and client service, Allen & Overy Shearman serves a diverse range of clients, including multinational corporations, financial institutions, and governments.

  
- **Stage 2: Online Assessments:** Shortlisted candidates may be required to complete online assessments, including numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, and situational judgement tests to evaluate cognitive abilities, analytical skills, and decision-making capabilities.
  
- **Stage 3: Interviews:** Successful candidates progress to multiple rounds of interviews. These may include competency-based interviews focusing on skills, experience, and alignment with the firm's core values, as well as technical interviews for specific legal roles.
  
- **Stage 4: Assessment Centre (for certain roles):** Candidates may be invited to an assessment centre involving group exercises, case studies, and presentations designed to assess teamwork, problem-solving abilities, and legal acumen.
  
- **Stage 5: Final Round Interviews:** Finalists undergo interviews with senior partners or hiring managers. These interviews delve into the candidate’s legal knowledge, professional experiences, and alignment with the firm's collaborative and client-focused culture.

**How to Prepare for Recruitment**
- **Research Allen & Overy Shearman:** Gain a comprehensive understanding of the firm's practice areas, global reach, notable cases, and industry reputation. Familiarise yourself with recent legal developments and the firm's client-focused approach.
  
- **Practice Online Assessments:** Use practice materials and resources to prepare for numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, and situational judgement tests. Focus on honing your analytical and decision-making skills relevant to legal contexts.
  
- **Prepare for Interviews:** Anticipate questions related to your legal knowledge, problem-solving abilities, and alignment with the firm's values of excellence, integrity, and client service. Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to structure your responses effectively.
  
- **Networking:** Connect with current employees or alumni of Allen & Overy Shearman through professional networks and attend recruitment events or webinars hosted by the firm to gain insights into its culture, expectations, and career opportunities.

By thoroughly preparing and demonstrating alignment with Allen & Overy Shearman's values and legal expertise throughout each stage of the application process, candidates can enhance their prospects of securing a role with a leading global law firm known for its excellence in legal services and significant impact on the international legal landscape.

Company Profile

• Year founded: 2023
• CEO: Wim Dejonghe (Allen & Overy) and David Beveridge (Shearman & Sterling)
• Employee Number: c.7000
• Headquarters: London, United Kingdom, and New York City, USA
• Core Values: Excellence, integrity, teamwork, innovation, and client focus
• Official website: https://www.aoshearman.com/en

Student & Graduate Recruitment Process

How to Prepare for the Online Assessment

During the online assessment, you will need to complete a situational judgement test. The assessment entails reading some scenarios or watching videos and rating given responses to scenarios as most effective or least effective.

⌛️ Overall Time Needed to Practice: 3 days.

⏰ Overall Time Needed to Complete the Assessment: 45 minutes.

The interactive assessment is untimed and should take around 45 minutes. The interactive assessment is designed to provide a realistic preview of what you may experience as a trainee at A&O Shearman as well as give us an insight into your motivations. You will need to complete your application and interactive assessment before the deadline. 

In order to succeed in this assessment, you can practise our Situational Judgement Tests, which include ranking-style and rating-style questions that help you understand corporate culture and what A&O Shearman might be looking for.