Placement Schemes

There are three schemes a year. At Easter, we have one intake of primarily final year non-law undergraduates and all graduates, and can accommodate up to 30 students. This lasts for two weeks. We also run two three-week summer placement schemes each year, primarily aimed at penultimate year law undergraduates (but this is not exclusive), and can accommodate up to 60 students.

During each intake, students will sit with a solicitor in his or her office and will become fully involved in their daily activities. The aim is for students to get as broad and comprehensive view as possible, over a short period, of life as a City solicitor.

Visiting students are expected to perform various pieces of work, such as researching legal points and drafting simple letters, and they may be taken to meetings with clients or conferences with counsel. In addition, a number of talks are given by members of the firm relating to the City of London, the firm and its various areas of practice. A variety of trips are also arranged and there may be the opportunity to visit one of the firm's international offices. Most importantly, there are many informal social events at which students have an opportunity to meet a variety of solicitors from different departments and at different levels and to ask questions about life as a trainee and beyond. There are other social events too, such as softball matches, touch rugby and nights out with the trainees, and visiting students are regularly encouraged to participate in the firm's many sporting and social activities.

By the end of the placement, you will have had the chance to get to know many of the people who work at Ashurst. You will have experienced first hand the wide cross-section of the work we undertake. And, most importantly, you will have gained a real feel for Ashurst's unique culture.

We make sure that you get to know our trainees when you are on your placement. Many of them were once on a placement at Ashurst themselves. With that in mind, the schemes are largely administered by a committee of trainees.

You will work normal office hours during your placement and, of course, you will be expected to participate in the daily life of the office. We do not pay a salary, but we do give a generous subsistence allowance, currently £275 per week, towards the cost of living in, or commuting to, London.