Graduate Internship
Our Graduate Internship offers you the opportunity to gain first-hand experience working with a leading Competition and EU law team in an international law firm for 6 months. From day one you will work collaboratively with lawyers and Partners on market-leading, multijurisdictional matters.
Our Internship is aimed at graduates holding a Master's degree or LL.M. in European law, and may offer those that perform highly the opportunity to become a trainee lawyer or junior associate with the firm.
We offer two intakes annually, recruited 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 we have a culture focused on collaboration, communication and support.
Market-leading work
Located at the heart of the EU institutions, we provide advice on market-leading matters for some of the largest and most well-known companies in the world.
International environment
Our office is diverse. Our people come from a range of nationalities, and they get to work on a broad array of matters domestically and globally with their colleagues in other offices.
The recruitment process
We look for graduates who have:
a Master's degree or LL.M. in European law
excellent academic results
an excellent command of spoken and written English, and fluency in at least one other EU language, ideally French or Dutch
a desire to work in a global environment
a team focused attitude.
You will be required to submit a short application including sending 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 unique.
Please send your application to brussels.recruitment@ashurst.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 and examples of your achievements.
Write clearly
We will be impressed if you explain yourself simply and clearly, and use examples and evidence to support your experience. Please avoid clichés. Lots of applicants tell us they want to be a lawyer because the law shapes society or they want to work at Ashurst because they would relish the chance to work on cutting-edge deals. Find a way to express your ambitions in your own words.
Those candidates who are shortlisted based on their application are required to complete a written assessment, provided by us, that evaluates your knowledge of European law.
Those candidates that succeed in the written assessment will meet face-to-face with some of our Partners and lawyers for a conversational interview 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 come prepared with your 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
15 November for internships starting 1 April of the following year; 15 May for internships starting 1 October
Interviews conducted
We interview candidates as they apply so make sure you apply early to ensure you're considered.
Start date
1 April
1 October
Testimonials
"I did my Ashurst internship straight after university and a short internship experience in EU institutions. It gave me an insight into the workings of a world-class law firm and Ashurst's collaborative culture. I got the opportunity to work on a number of cases, including having responsibility on litigation cases, with great colleagues. It confirmed my appetite to become a lawyer. I highly recommend the internship experience at Ashurst."
Jessica Bracker, Associate - Competition and EU law
Applicant Resource Hub
For answers to all your frequently asked questions and information on application & interview tips, the benefits we provide, life at Ashurst, our L&D programmes, and our IDB initiatives.
Visit hub
Inclusion, Diversity & Belonging
Our inclusive and diverse culture stands at the heart of everything we do. For more information on our initiatives and the support we provide please follow the link below.
More informationAgencies
Agency submissions and candidate introductions will only be accepted with prior approval from a member of the Ashurst Talent Acquisition team. To submit or introduce a candidate, an agency must have valid agreed terms of business in place with Ashurst. Any agency submissions or candidate introductions made without prior approval or without the agreed terms of business in place will be considered invalid.
Diversity
We are committed to offering a safe and welcoming environment for our employees and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. With diversity and inclusion at the heart of what we do we place a strong emphasis on working with people from diverse communities and aim to make a positive impact through our Social Impact programmes.
Speak up!
Ashurst is committed to ensuring an accountable workplace culture. Candidates are encouraged to report any ethical or conduct concerns to our confidential email address: ethics.counsel@ashurst.com.
Please note that this email address should not be used for general enquiries about, or applications for, job positions available at Ashurst as they will not be passed onto the relevant team. Any recruitment enquires should be directed to globalresourcing@ashurst.com.