Graduate internship
Our graduate internship offers you the opportunity to gain first-hand experience working with our competition and EU law team in a global law firm for 6 months. From day one, you will work collaboratively with lawyers and partners on multijurisdictional matters.
Our internship is for graduates with a master's degree or an LL.M. in European law; it offers those who perform highly the opportunity to become a trainee lawyer or junior associate with the firm.
We have two intakes each year: in November for an April start, and June for an October start.
What we can offer you
Welcoming culture
Our people make our culture! Being a small office, our culture focuses on collaboration, communication, and support.
Our work
Located at the heart of European institutions, we provide advice on high-profile matters for some of the largest and most well-known companies in the world.
International environment
Our office is diverse. Here, people of different nationalities get to work on a broad range of matters domestically and globally with colleagues in other offices.
The recruitment process
We are looking for graduates with:
- A master's degree or an LL.M. in European law
- Excellent academic results
- An excellent command of spoken and written English, and fluency in at least one other European language, ideally French or Dutch
- A desire to work in a global environment
- A team-focused attitude
Please submit a short application, including your CV, most recent academic transcripts and a short cover letter to give us an understanding of who you are and why you're interested in joining our firm. Make sure you also do some research on our office and the firm to understand what makes us different.
Please send your application to brussels.recruitment@ashurstperkins.com
Detail your strengths and weaknesses
We don’t ask specific questions on the competencies we’re looking for; we prefer to give you the opportunity to tell us about them in your own words. In your application, be sure to include those qualities along with specific examples of your achievements.
Write clearly
We will be impressed if you explain yourself simply and clearly, using examples and evidence to support your experience. Please avoid clichés. Many applicants tell us they want to be a lawyer because the law "shapes society," or they want to work at Ashurst Perkins Coie because they relish the chance to work on "cutting-edge deals." Find a way to express your ambitions in your own words.
Candidates who are short-listed based on their application are given a written assessment to evaluate their knowledge of European law.
Those candidates who succeed in the written assessment will meet face-to-face with some of our partners and lawyers for a conversation that is designed to assess your legal knowledge and personality. It’s also an opportunity for you to find out more about us, so please prepare some questions.
Your interviewers use your application as a basis for the interview and are likely to ask you about the things you have highlighted. Refer to your work experience and explain what you learned from it. It doesn’t matter whether your work experience has been in a legal or non-legal role.
Key dates
Applications open
November 15 for internships starting April 1 of the following year; May 15 for internships starting October 1
Interviews conducted
We interview candidates soon after they apply, so make sure you apply early to ensure you're considered.
Start date
April 1
October 1
Testimonials
"I did my internship at the firm straight after university and following a short internship at EU institutions. It gave me an insight into the workings of a global law firm and its collaborative culture. I got the opportunity to work on a number of cases, including having responsibility on litigation cases. I had great colleagues. It confirmed my appetite to become a lawyer and I highly recommend the internship experience at Ashurst Perkins Coie."
Jessica Bracker, Associate - Competition and EU law
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