Applications

No. A cover letter is not required for any of our early careers programmes. Applications should be submitted through the Early Careers website. 

Once an application has been submitted, changes may not always be possible. If you need to update important information, please contact the Early Careers team through the Help Desk.

Yes. You can save your progress and return to your application at a later date before submitting it. We recommend reviewing all information carefully before final submission.

Yes. If you wish to withdraw your application, please do so through your candidate portal.

Application deadlines vary by office and programme. Please check the relevant programme page for the latest dates.

You can monitor the progress of your application through your candidate portal. Due to the volume of applications received, we are unable to provide individual application updates outside of the recruitment process timelines.

Once your application has been submitted, it will be reviewed by the Early Careers team. If your application is successful, you will be invited to progress through the relevant stages of the recruitment process. We will communicate with you throughout the process and encourage you to monitor your emails and for updates.

Timeframes vary by programme and recruitment stage. We will contact you as soon as a decision has been made. Please continue to monitor your email inbox and candidate portal for updates.

If you believe you have submitted incorrect information, please contact the Early Careers team through the Help Desk as soon as possible with details of the amendment required.

Please check your junk or spam folder first. If you have not received a confirmation email within 24 hours of submitting your application, please contact the Early Careers team through the Help Desk.

Please use the password reset functionality on the login page. If you continue to experience issues, please contact the Early Careers team through the Help Desk.

If there has been a change to your academic circumstances since submitting your application, please contact the Early Careers team through the Help Desk as soon as possible and provide details of the change.

If you are unsuccessful, you may apply again in the next recruitment season. However, you cannot submit another application for the same year.

Yes. If you have previously been unsuccessful, you are welcome to apply again in a future recruitment season, provided you meet the eligibility requirements for the programme. We encourage candidates to reflect on their previous application experience and use any additional skills, experiences or achievements gained before reapplying. Please note that you cannot submit another application for the same intake year.

No. You can only apply to one location per year. If you submit applications to multiple positions, DLA Piper will only accept your first application, and your others will be withdrawn.

Yes, we do. You can apply for the programme if you are in your final year of study of a non-law degree. You are also eligible to apply if you are a graduate or looking for a career change.

Yes, we accept applications from those who have already completed their law or non-law undergrduate degree.

As we recruit two years in advance, you will be assessed during your Summer Internship for a place on our Future Lawyer Pathway, which typically begins two years later. In some instances, we may be able to accommodate an earlier start date, subject to business needs, but this cannot be guaranteed.

You should only apply for a summer internship in the office where you would like your Future Lawyer Pathway to be based. 

All trainees joining our offices in England and Dubai are expected to complete both parts of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE - SQE1 and SQE2) route to qualification.

The tuition and exam fees will be funded by the firm, and we'll support you in the course registration process.

You'll be required to complete the SQE1 and SQE2 even if you've already completed your LPC. 

We welcome applications from candidates studying any degree subject. You should have achieved, or be on track to achieve, a 2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) and have achieved equivalent to 136 UCAS Tariff points (for example, AAB at A-level or AAAAB at Scottish Higher). We welcome applicants with a range of qualifications and will consider equivalent academic achievements from other education systems and qualification routes. We recognise that everyone's circumstances are different and will consider mitigating circumstances on a case-by-case basis.

Please note if you have completed your further legal studies (PGDL, LPC or SQE), you must have obtained a minimum degree classification of a Merit.

Yes you can apply for both the Discovery Day and a Summer Internship programme. Our Discovery Days are a chance to find out more about the office, culture and people. You must apply for a Discovery Day, where you would want to undertake your Summer Internship.

No. Attendance at a Discovery Day does not guarantee progression within the recruitment process, but we would recommend applying to attend one to find out more about DLA Piper, before applying. 

If you have any mitigating circumstances that you'd like to be taken into consideration alongside your application, please ensure you include details of these in your online application.

We do recognise that some forms of online assessment (such as situational judgement tests) are not suitable for all candidates. However, please be assured that our online assessment is not a judgement test, and doesn't involve hypothetical workplace scenarios.  It is short, requires no advanced practice, and is designed to be neuro-inclusive, accommodating different ways of processing information and making decisions It starts with clear instructions and warm-up questions, and no preparation is needed.

If you experience any technical difficulties, please check the troubleshooting guide first. If the problem persists, please email our assessment partner at contact@neurosight.io.

Suggested troubleshooting includes using Chrome/Edge, disabling VPNs, clearing cache, checking internet connection, or trying another device.

You'll need to have the right to work in the location you've applied for the duration of the summer internship. We can however sponsor you for a visa if you are successful in receiving an offer to join our Future Lawyer Pathway as a trainee solicitor.

Yes. We welcome applications from candidates studying internationally. However, you must satisfy the relevant right-to-work requirements for the location to which you are applying and meet any programme-specific eligibility requirements. Please also note our assessment centres are hosted in-person, and you will be required to attend in the office location which you are applying for. 

No. Unfortunately, we do not have capacity to offer any work experience opportunities outside of our structured programmes; however, you may be eligible to apply for one of our programmes.

We typically recruit trainees through the summer internship, but we may at times recruit outside of the internship programme.

Our summer internship programme is a fantastic way to get to experience working at DLA Piper. It will help you to get to know our firm and our people. The internship will give you a strong understanding of our values and what we stand for and whether DLA Piper and its practice groups are right for you. At the end of the summer internship, you'll be assessed for a place on our Future Lawyer Pathway (training contract) in the office where you complete your internship.

Yes, but it should be used responsibly and ethically. GenAI is a powerful tool that creates content by learning from data, text, images, audio, and more. It’s transforming how we work and will likely shape your career. Used well, it can support your job search; used poorly, it can undermine your integrity.

In our recruitment processes, we want to see your authentic potential, your experiences, strengths, and aspirations. Integrity is essential in the legal profession, so if you use GenAI, do so ethically and transparently.

Smart Use of GenAI

• Learn its limits and risks.
• Be transparent about how you’ve used it.
• Understand the basics of how it works.
• Use it to explore roles that match your goals.
• Support your ideas but always personalise the output.
• Structure your thoughts, then edit the draft yourself.
• Check spelling and clarity.
• Remove personal data before inputting anything.
• Ask for prep tips (e.g., for assessments).
• Practice interviews with sample questions.

Poor Use of GenAI

• Using GenAI to complete assessments.
• Misrepresenting your skills or experiences.
• Submitting unedited AI-generated content.
• Using vague prompts.
• Not fact-checking outputs.
• Replacing your own thinking.
• Reading scripted AI responses in interviews.

DLA Piper uses AI and legal technology across the business. During recruitment, the online assessment includes automated processing and profiling, but recruitment decisions are not made solely by automated systems. Human review remains part of every decision.

Under applicable data protection laws, you may have rights in relation to automated processing and profiling, including the right to request further information or, where relevant, a review of decisions.

For more information about how we process personal data and your rights, please see our Privacy Notice.