Deadline: October 21, 2016 | Apply here
Eligibility: All final year students, post graduates and those who have successfully obtained a third level degree qualification.
Duration: 24 months
Location: Dublin, Ireland

A&L Goodbody Trainee Solicitor Programme

A&L Goodbody is internationally recognised as Ireland’s leading law firm. The Firm has an extensive and top class client list, representing household names, financial institutions and international blue chip corporations.

With 86 Partners and over 600 staff, the firm offers the broadest range of commercial and specialist legal services in Ireland and work on the most challenging and complex assignments. They train lawyers to thrive in this environment – to be the next generation of top international lawyers.

Trainee Programme

A&L Goodbody structures their trainee programme around ‘seats’ in four different departments for six months each time. In that way, you are not going to be pigeon-holed into a particular area of law too early in your career and you are given the chance to discover for yourself just where your interests lie and what you are really good at.

You will be rotated through the four main Departments in the Firm, which are Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Corporate, Banking and Property.

Mentoring

Throughout your time on each team, you will be working with partners, associates and more junior lawyers. In that way, you will get to see different people with different working styles and also people at different stages in their legal career. This will enable you to develop all the skills that you need to be the very best commercial lawyer that you can be.

Useful Feedback

You will be given an assessment every three months, halfway through your rotation and then again at the end of the rotation. This might seem quite daunting at the start, but it really is a very valuable way for you to ascertain just how well you are going in your rotation.

To the extent that there are any issues, you are given the opportunity to discuss those with your partners and ensure that they are picked up before they become bigger issues than they really need to be.

Secondment

There is no better way of teaching the trainees just how to best serve their clients in their future career.

A number of the trainees to go on secondment with some of A&L Goodbody biggest clients such as banks, insurance companies, IT Companies, telecom companies – really across the range of industries and it is a fantastic experience for trainees to be able to go out to the client organisations and learn just exactly what it is that the clients look for in their lawyers.

Other Offices

A&L Goodbody has trainees in the London and Belfast offices at any point in time and there you will be given a chance to see what life is like in those cities but with the combined support and protection of their London, Belfast and Dublin teams and the structure of the trainee programme.

Legal Education & Learning

As a trainee at A&L Goodbody, you can expect to receive excellent training in the practical application of the law from the moment you begin your career. The firm invests in your on-going development as a lawyer and as a trusted business adviser, because they know how important it is to reach your full potential.

A&L Goodbody provides each Trainee with a tailored development framework aimed at enhancing capabilities specific to the individual.

What are A&L Goodbody is looking for in the future trainees?

• All applicants must be either final year degree students, post graduates or have successfully obtained a third level degree qualification.
• Although a primary degree is a pre-requisite, they don’t just look for people who are academically high achievers or limit applicants to those who have studied law. The firm accepts degrees from all disciplines.
• It is also important that you can work as part of a team, are motivated, have initiative and have clear expectations of your future.
• A&L Goodbody looks for candidates who are commercially aware, assertive and effective communicators and have the personality and disposition to become a top class lawyer.

A&L Goodbody also looks for evidence of the following attributes:

• Ambition & Commitment

A&L Goodbody looks for people who have a real zeal to learn more and develop as lawyers in a commercial law firm. They also look to their trainees to show drive and determination and also have shown themselves to have put themselves in challenging positions up until now.

• Teamwork

A key criterion is the ability to work on a team because this is the approach A&L Goodbody takes to all of their client problems and you need to demonstrate that this is something which comes very naturally to you.

• Problem Solving

A&L Goodbody needs trainees who try to see a problem from all angles, who can logically work through potential solutions and understand their pros and cons, but also suggest alternative solutions, which many not be the norm, but may be just what their client needs.

• Effective Communication

Clearly, A&L Goodbody needs the trainees to be effective communicators with an ability to put across their message in a simple concise manner.

• Commercial Awareness

A&L Goodbody is looking for trainees who have shown a genuine interest in and aptitude for business because while being lawyers, they aim to be trusted business advisors to the clients and they operate at all times in that commercial world.

• Adaptability

Trainees need to be flexible to juggle a varied workload and change priorities based on their team’s workload. A&L Goodbody looks for trainees who are comfortable adapting to different environments and ways of working, as this is how you will learn to perform well throughout your career, in any circumstance.

• Future Leadership

Above all then, they are looking for the next generation of A&L Goodbody lawyers who can lead the practice and become the new partners in future years.

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