Allen & Overy LLP (A&O) is a top-tier, international practice, globally renowned for its legal advice and innovation. Rankings and revenue reports show that this firm accelerates in various aspects of its service, but we lay out a more holistic perspective of the firm with insight from trainee lawyer, Vicky Chen.
The Culture
Vicky praises the culture at A&O, explaining how “the firm has this truly open environment where everyone is a team. There are no sharp elbows or competitive, selfish people. Everyone’s just open to help each other do the best work that we can. Law school was a pretty cutthroat place so it’s just really refreshing that there’s none of that here.”
When speaking about how the firm treats its employees she states, “A&O has always been open with everyone, including its most junior employees in terms of the firm’s strategy, finances, or where the firm wants to go.”
Recently, the trainees even talked to a partner about how the annual partnership works and how it makes its money. It included firm strategies as well as the partners’ concerns: trainees are respected enough to be informed on topics that are usually kept private in law firms.
Working amongst some of the best lawyers in the industry is bound to be intimidating at times. But, it is encouraging to hear that even such a large, prestigious firm can facilitate a genuinely collaborative and friendly culture that respects staff on all levels.
Trainee support at the firm
Trainees are assigned supervisors – known as trainers – in each seat. They are usually a senior associate or partner at the department and are the first port of call for any questions. They also assign most of the workload.
Although they are there to provide a lot of practical guidance, “the firm requires trainers to have at least weekly catch-up calls with their trainee, not about work, but to talk holistically about [their] career, or just about life.” She also said that if you get on with your trainer well, you usually end up forming longer-term relationships with them, which can make the workplace feel more like a community.
Not only is pastoral support prioritised, but the resources available to employees are exceptional. Vicky speaks of “the bridge [which] is a massive 24/7 team of people in the Bishop Square office that do the mundane, admin things that I previously assumed the trainees would do. Things like proofreading, binding, etc. are done by them. I’ve never done any proofreading in my training contract at all. You can even send them a black and white barebone structure of a PowerPoint presentation and they make it presentable.”
Diversity Networks
Established within the firm are internal diversity networks such as A&Out, Faith at A&O, and the Race and Ethnicity Network. They aim to support their members by guiding them in terms of career development, hosting diversity-focused events, and being a source of community.
There are also a few smaller, more niche networks that have been set up within these groups. An example of this is the South East Asian Lawyers (SEAL). Its members have East Asian heritage, connections, or are just interested in the area and are supported in various ways. Their recent activities have included discussions where members can talk through ideas about how the firm can support the Stop Asian Hate movement, and events on Chinese business culture, and how to approach East Asian clients.
For Vicky, who is a part of SEAL, “it’s been great as [she has] been able to speak with a lot of lawyers from different departments, and it’s given [her] contacts with senior associates and partners that [she] wouldn’t otherwise have. Also, on the committee [she is] able to voice [her] thoughts and ideas with other partners and senior associates.”
Like most big-city law firms, A&O has a way to go in terms of diversity and inclusion, but these networks are making steps in the right direction. In line with a collective desire for accelerated change, A&O has also set various targets such as having 15% of its partnership from an ethnic minority by 2025.
Verdict
It is fair to conclude that this firm not only excels in its service to clients but also in its effort to provide a great working environment for employees. Though we often hear about gifted bottles of champagne and celebrity guest speakers at prestigious law firms, Vicky reveals that employees at A&O are supported by more than just a paycheque for their hard work.
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