UK – ACCESS Commercial Law

Eligibility requirements

You will be eligible to apply for our ACCESS Commercial Law program if:

• You are studying in your penultimate or final year of secondary school (Year 12/13 in England & Wales; S5/S6 Scotland; Year 13/14 Northern Ireland and 5th/6th Year Republic of Ireland).
• You are attending a state-funded, non-fee-paying school/college or are attending a fee-paying school on a 100% means-tested bursary.

Additional criteria

You must also meet one or more of the following:

• You have been, or are currently, in local authority care.
• You are currently in receipt of, or have previously received, free school meals, Pupil Premium, Education Maintenance Allowance and/or 16 to 19 Bursary.
• You are, or have been, a full-time or part-time carer.
• You came to the UK as a refugee or asylum seeker.
• You grew up in a household where the occupation of the main earner is categorized as a routine or manual occupation. For further details please click here.
• You are attending a state school or college with:
  
  • below average A-Level or Higher point score and/or
  • low rate of progression to higher education (PRIME Work Experience School Eligibility Criteria).
• You grew up in a household where no parent or guardian attended university.

Important information

We are passionate about reaching students who will benefit most from this opportunity and use Rare Recruitment's contextual recruitment system (CRS) to support us with our recruitment decisions in relation to applying the above 'additional criteria'. The CRS allows us to understand your achievements in the context in which they have been gained. We seek to recruit the best people, from every background, regardless of their personal circumstances, and the CRS help us to do that.

If you are (or have been) looked after, accommodated or in care, you only need to meet the school year requirement listed in the Eligibility requirements section.

There is room on the application form to explain any extenuating circumstances that might impact your application.

These above additional criteria are not exhaustive and may be amended over time.

Our short application form will include a question asking you about your interest in a career in commercial law, Ashurst Perkins Coie and the program.

Top tips

• Make sure you allow plenty of time to complete the application form.
• Include time at the end to carefully proofread your application before submitting.
• Draft your application in Microsoft Word to make use of the spelling and grammar checker.
• Spend time researching Ashurst Perkins Coie and the type of law we specialize in and remember to mention why this type of law interests you.
• Use the word limit as guidance for how much you should write and remember to back up your statements with relevant research and examples.
• Try to avoid long sentences where these are not needed. Short sentences are easier to read and will help you to get your point across more clearly.
• Use generative AI tools mindfully. AI can enhance your application, but ensure any AI-altered content is thoroughly reviewed and edited before submission. AI should complement your efforts to authentically represent yourself, your experience, and your enthusiasm for the role, not replace your thoughts or create them for you.
• And finally, don't be tempted to copy and paste from our website. We want to read your own words and not ours.

After the application closing date, we will ask you to complete an online assessment. The assessment measures a range of critical reasoning and behavioral strengths that align to a trainee solicitor or solicitor apprentice role at Ashurst Perkins Coie. The assessment has been designed to give you a realistic preview into life at Ashurst Perkins Coie and the types of scenarios you might experience as a junior legal professional.

While we recommend completing the online assessment in one sitting, it is untimed so you can complete it at your own pace. It will take around 60 minutes to complete, and you will have 5 days to complete the test once from the time you receive the link. Once completed, you’ll be sent an individual feedback report outlining your key strengths and development areas.

You can learn about the types of questions you may be asked in the assessment at our Preparation Hub.

Candidates with disabilities or long-term health conditions

We are committed to making all stages of our recruitment process accessible to candidates with disabilities or long-term health conditions. If you consider yourself to have a disability or a long-term health condition, please feel able to be open about this at any point during the recruitment process. If you are not sure what adjustments you require, we will work with you to establish the most-suitable adjustments at each stage of the recruitment process. Please note that our online application form includes a section that allows you to advise us of any extenuating circumstances that are relevant for us to consider when reviewing your application form.

If you would like to talk to a member of our team in relation to any queries you may have on your disability or long-term health condition and the recruitment process, please contact Ella Blakesley, Senior Social Impact Manager on Ella.Blakesley@ashurstperkins.com or +44 20 7859 3644. Any information disclosed on your disability or long-term health condition will remain strictly confidential.