Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Firm profile
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is one of a handful of leading international law firms.
The firm’s clients are mainly big commercial businesses whose names are well-known. The type of work the firm does divides into helping clients achieve what they want through doing deals, advising them on real and potential problems, and helping them sort out their disputes.
Main areas of work
Clients look to the firm to be able to answer any legal or regulatory questions that confront them. Organisationally, the firm’s lawyers work in one of eight departments: corporate; finance; dispute resolution; real estate; intellectual property/IT; tax; employment, pensions and benefits; and antitrust, competition and trade. But the firm’s practice is extremely broad, and dynamic: it is constantly changing to meet clients’ needs.
Trainee profile
Trainees need to be intellectually talented and have excellent English skills. They need to enjoy working on difficult problems, working alongside others, and never doing less than the best they can.
Training environment
Trainees can move departments every three months: many other firms are not so flexible. All departments provide formal training. But trainees learn most by working for clients alongside the firm’s more experienced lawyers, both in London and in other offices in the US, Europe and Asia. Some are also seconded to clients.
Benefits
The firm offers a flexible and competitive benefits package.
Work placements
The firm normally takes students on vacation schemes who are in the summer before their final undergraduate year. Some summer vacation students can spend time abroad as part of their placement. The application window for the summer 2011 schemes is from 1 October 2010 to 15 January 2011 but the sooner you apply, the better.
Sponsorship and awards
The firm pays the GDL and LPC fees for all its prospective trainees, and a maintenance grant for both courses.
For further information please visit our website www.freshfields.com/uktrainees.