Get Work Experience At A&O Shearman Through Our Smart Start Programme

Every year, we invite applications from students in Year 12 from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to participate in one of two work experience programs. Find out more about these programs, who's eligible, and how to apply below.

Smart Start is A&O Shearman's flagship social mobility program, run in partnership with Causeway Education. It aims to raise the career aspirations of young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds (see "Who is eligible" below). Smart Start gives access to high-quality work experience and skills development. It is the only work experience scheme in the legal sector that is City & Guilds Assured.

How it works: The benefits of work experience with A&O Shearman

There are two elements to Smart Start:

1. Smart Start Week, our in-person work experience for Year 12 students or equivalent; or
2. Smart Applications, our online program for Year 12 or equivalent students.

To participate in either program you first need to register and attend one of the online Smart Choices sessions. Here you will take part in a range of interactive activities which allow you to assess the benefits of the opportunities available to you, find out how to demonstrate commercial awareness to impress in interviews, and leave the session with an action plan. Smart Choices takes place online between February 24 and March 7, 2026. Registration closes on Friday, February 13, 2026.

1. Smart Start week

Smart Start Week is held at our London office in July each year. It's open to Year 12 or equivalent students who meet our criteria (see "Who is eligible" below).

Over the course of five days, students take part in workshops and tackle challenges based on the Skills Builder Universal Framework. They're supported by A&O Shearman colleagues, volunteers from our commercial clients, and Smart Start Week alumni.

What you get:

• One-on-one calls to discuss your application, provide support, and answer any questions (hosted by Causeway Education).
• Attend an in-person launch day event on Wednesday, May 27, 2026.
• The opportunity to take part in an in-person mock interview and receive feedback.
• Insight into careers at an international law firm.
• Advice on drafting personal statements and how to make job applications stand out.
• Development of eight essential skills.
• Lunches and refreshments are provided free of charge during the week and travel costs are reimbursed.
• A completion certificate from A&O Shearman and, for those students who meet the benchmark pass mark, a certificate from City & Guilds, as well as a digital credential.
• Access to Causeway Education's UCAS support platform, OSCAR.

2. Smart applications

Young people who are unable or do not want to travel to London can apply for Smart Applications. The virtual work-related learning program takes place in May and June. It's open to Year 12 or equivalent students who meet our criteria (see "Who is eligible" below).

Smart Applications is made up of eight live evening webinars. These include sessions on university and apprenticeship applications and how to develop employability skills. Like Smart Start Week, Smart Applications is based on the Skills Builder Universal Framework.

Students don't have to join all the webinars, but our most engaged students are invited to an in-person celebration day at our London office on Wednesday, August 5, 2026.

What you get:

• Development of eight essential skills.
• Insight into careers at an international law firm.
• The opportunity to take part in a virtual mock interview and get feedback.
• A completion certificate from A&O Shearman. Access to Causeway Education's UCAS support platform, OSCAR.
• For some, the chance to spend a day in A&O Shearman's London office in August 2026.

Smart Start's impact

Since its launch in 2009, Smart Start has supported nearly 2,000 students (excluding Smart Application participants).

Across the Smart Start 2025 Week, the 39 students who participated developed knowledge of the firm's international profile and, within a team, researched and pitched a fictitious new office location. The challenge and all supporting workshops facilitate the students' development in the eight Skills Builder essential skills. Activities are designed to practice skills and encourage an understanding of their significance in a professional setting.

100% of participants rated it as very good or good in their end-of-week feedback. All those who took part strongly agreed or agreed with the statement: "The Smart Start Week will strengthen my personal statement for applications, e.g., to university."

97% of participants either strongly agreed or agreed with the statement: "The Smart Start Week has given me a better understanding of the qualifications and skills needed to get into a career in law." Plus, 95% rated the week better than expected.

Participants completed a Skills Builder assessment before and after the week. The results show improvement in all eight essential skills, including a 20% average improvement in speaking and 18% average improvement in problem solving.

% of students showing improvement

What our participants say

"What I found most useful was the practical insights shared by industry professionals regarding career paths in corporate law. Their real-world experiences provided valuable context for understanding the skills and competencies needed to succeed in this field. Additionally, the interactive Q&A session allowed me to ask specific questions and receive personalized advice, which was incredibly helpful for my career exploration." Smart Choices attendee

"The launch day set out the ideal atmosphere of what it feels like to be in the Smart Start Week. The mock interviews and the assessment center activity we did reflected the group challenges we did in the Smart Start Week." Launch day attendee

"I liked hearing about the volunteers' stories into their route into law. It was refreshing to see that their background doesn't stop you from aiming high and achieving your goals." Smart Applications participant

"Spending these few days at A&O Shearman really opened my eyes and gave me a fresh sense of motivation for my future. Meeting professionals, hearing their stories, and being trusted to take part in tasks like interviews, negotiations, and presentations made everything I've dreamed about feel more real and achievable. It wasn't just about learning skills—it was about seeing myself in that world and realizing I have what it takes to get there. The support from volunteers and the chance to reflect on my progress helped me believe in my potential and gave me a much clearer picture of the path ahead. I left feeling inspired, focused, and more determined than ever to chase my career goals." Smart Start Week participant

"The Smart Start Week has given me a greater, more developed perspective about my future career goals, and has motivated me to work harder as nothing is impossible." Smart Start Week participant

What our volunteers say

Every year, volunteers from A&O Shearman and our clients support our Smart Start program. Ninety-five A&O Shearman colleagues, 35 client volunteers, and eight Smart Start Week alumni took part in 2025's Smart Start Week. Here's what some of them had to say about the experience:

Rob first volunteered for Smart Start as a trainee lawyer. As someone who attended state school and struggled to find work experience in the legal sector before attending university, he recognizes the value of the program.

He says: "I think it's an amazing scheme. It gives students the eight Skills Builder essential skills, but also the ones we can take for granted, like negotiating the transport system in London. It gives them the opportunity to figure out how to do these things for themselves. By the end of the week, you see them far more confident—confident to ask questions of those in senior roles, and happy to challenge each other in a respectful way."

Helen is another of our repeat volunteers. As a business professional, she helps to open students' eyes and minds to the different opportunities available at an international law firm. She says: "Exposure and interaction from an adult in a profession like ours can have a big impact on how a student thinks about their future and engagement at school."

Matt was the first person in his family to attend university and work for a professional services company. He says: "I want to make sure that students from backgrounds like mine have opportunities to succeed in firms like A&O Shearman. This kind of environment can be daunting, but in the end, it's about making connections with people. I hope Smart Start Week demystifies the corporate world by humanizing it, as well as reminding the participants that it takes all sorts of contributions for the firm to run. You don't have to be a lawyer to have a place in the organization."

Who is eligible?

Applicants must:

• Have always attended a state-funded or non-fee paying school.
• Be a UK national or EU national with settled status in the UK by the time they apply for university.

Applicants must also meet at least one of the following additional criteria:

• Come from a household where no parent or guardian has attended university.
• Receive, or have previously received, free school meals, Pupil Premium, Education Maintenance Allowance, or a 16 to 19 Bursary Fund.
• Be or have been in local authority care.
• Be or have been a full-time or part-time young carer.
• Come to the UK as a refugee or asylum seeker.
• Come from a household where a parent or carer has served in the regular armed forces.
• Be attending a school or college with:
  • below average A level or Scottish Highers points score, and/or
  • a low rate of progression to higher education.

Students who meet more than one additional criteria are more likely to receive a place on either program.

How to apply

Applications for the Smart Start Week and Smart Applications programs open in January 2026 and close on February 13, 2026. Applicants are required to attend a Smart Choices event in order to be invited to apply for Smart Start Week or Smart Applications. Smart Choices events will be hosted online between February 24 to March 7, 2026. To find out more about Smart Choices and to register, please click here. [Please note this link will not accept registrations until January 2026]

Applicants can choose to apply for either program or both. Places are allocated on a points-based system, depending on how many of the criteria the students meet.

Successful applicants for Smart Start Week are required to attend a launch day at our London office on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. There, they will meet fellow participants and hear more about the benefits of the program. Students will also hear from our volunteers and take part in activities such as a mock interview.

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