Arnold & Porter - True Picture

Firm profile

Arnold & Porter is a US headquartered firm with a deserved reputation for its quality of service and expertise in handling the most complex legal and business problems, which require innovative and practical solutions.

Main areas of work

 

Arnold & Porter’s London lawyers advise on a full range of regulatory, transactional and litigation matters, with a particular focus on pharmaceuticals and medical device regulation and litigation, intellectual property and technology transactions and litigation, employment, competition and trade regulation, international arbitration, white collar crime UK enforcement and dispute resolution, corporate and securities, investment management and product liability advice and commercial litigation. Providing clients with an excellent service is Arnold & Porter’s number one priority, and the firm’s lawyers need to be commercially minded, approachable and able to work with clients as part of a team on complex and often high-profile legal issues.

Training opportunities

The firm looks for talented law and non-law graduates from all backgrounds who share the firm’s commitment to excellence, and want to be part of the continued growth of its London office. Candidates need to demonstrate a consistently high academic background with mitigating circumstances considered; the firm looks for well-rounded individuals who can demonstrate their participation in a range of extra-curricular activities and achievements. Four six-month seats: life sciences and healthcare regulatory, IP, corporate and securities, competition, international arbitration or white collar crime.

The firm encourages individuals to work across specialisms and emphasises teamwork, so trainees may find that whilst they are working in one group, they undertake work in a variety of different areas throughout the firm. Trainees will be expected to work on several matters at once, and assume responsibility at an early stage.

For more information please go to the Careers section on the website and select London Trainees.

An important aspect of the firm’s culture is its commitment to pro bono. Trainees and all lawyers at the firm are encouraged to take part in our pro bono programme and devote up to 15% of their time to it, helping young lawyers develop client management skills from an early stage.

Diversity and Inclusion

Recognising that entering the profession can be difficult, especially for those from less advantaged backgrounds, the firm was a founding member of the Social Mobility Business Partnership. Through this partnerships, we offer year 12 students work experience and continue to support these students through a tailored mentoring program.

The London office is also committed to several initiatives including InterLaw’s Diversity Forum Student Lab Summit: a one-day event to support high-potential, diverse students from all UK universities and backgrounds on their career journey.

We have renewed our partnership with Bright Network for a further two years to enhance the diversity of candidates applying for our graduate opportunities. Bright Network is one of the UK’s number one early careers platforms supporting over 850,000 diverse students and graduates. Its mission is to level the playing field for candidates from historically underrepresented backgrounds, giving access to opportunities in different industries. The platform enables us to balance volume, diversity, and quality by segmenting Bright Network’s candidates to promote our opportunities.

We have also launched our partnership with upReach this year to integrate REAL (relative education attainment level) Rating (contextualised recruitment) into our application process. Real Rating is an innovative tool that provides additional context to applicants’ academic achievements by considering their socio-economic background. This helps us to better understand each applicant’s potential and performance, ensuring a more inclusive and equitable recruitment process.

Insight Days

We will be hosting two insight days, one on Tuesday 15th April 2025 and Wednesday 11th June 2025. Throughout the day you will participate in several interactive sessions and skills workshops to gain practical legal experience. There will also be an opportunity to network with our lawyers and current trainees who can provide you with an insight into what it’s like to work at Arnold & Porter, an introduction to our core practice areas alongside advice from our graduate recruitment team. The two insight days are open to 1st year university law students law and 2nd year non-law university courses. Please apply to the day that is most suitable to you. 

Vacation schemes

The firm takes around ten summer vacation students each recruiting year from 29th June to 11th July 2025. Whether you are a law or non-law student, the firm will introduce you to life in a busy City law firm. You will spend two weeks working on a variety of projects and workshops with partners and associates throughout the London office. Apply via the firm’s website by 12th January 2025.

Other benefits

Healthy incentive bonus, Christmas bonus, private health insurance, private dental insurance, life assurance, season ticket loan, cycle scheme, vision allowance and employee assistance programme.

University law careers fairs 2024

Aspiring Solicitors, Bright Network - Future Leaders event, InterLaw Student Lab University of Birmingham, University of Manchester, SOAS University.