Summer Internship 2024 – Birmingham

The role

Overview:

Gain first-hand experience of working at DLA Piper with our in-person Summer Internship. Our three-week paid programme starts with an induction event held in the London office followed by time working in your chosen office location. This is the gateway to our International Trainee Programme and will provide you with opportunities to explore your interests and make informed career choices.

Throughout your time with us you will be automatically assessed for a Training Contract starting in 2026 in the location you complete the internship. All our Training Contracts are filled by our internships.

Your time with us:

Our Summer Internship is designed to give you an insight to what life at DLA Piper is really like.

The induction will allow you to meet new people and hear from senior members of the firm, as well as our current Trainees and Associates. You will discover more about the firm’s practice groups and sectors, our approach to radical change and technology, as well as diversity, equality, and inclusion. You will also spend time building your professional skills and workplace capabilities to ensure you have the best internship experience possible.

During your internship you’ll undertake work experience across two of our practice groups in your chosen office location. We will do our best to allocate your placements based on your preferences which you can share with us in advance.

Eligibility:

• If you are studying a law degree: you can apply for the programme if you are a second-year student on a three-year course or a third-year student on a four-year course
• If you are studying a non-law degree: you can apply for the programme if you are in your final year of study
• You can apply if you have already graduated or are a career changer
• We welcome applications from any degree discipline
• You must have the right to work for the duration of the programme (35 hours a week) in the location which you have chosen. DLA Piper is unable to sponsor visas for the Summer Internship
• You must meet the entry requirements via the University of Law 
• You are only able to apply once per year

What we look for:

In addition to the eligibility criteria, we look for those with the skills that will enable success at DLA Piper and within a legal career. These include, but are not limited to:

• Motivation to work in the legal industry and start your career with us.
• A desire to learn more, proactively seeking opportunities to do so.
• Taking pride in every aspect of your work, where no detail is too small.
• Connecting with others to create long lasting relationships.
• Adapting your approach depending on the situation and in the face of any setbacks.

ABOUT US
DLA Piper is a global law firm with lawyers and business service professionals located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Our global reach ensures that we can help businesses with their legal needs anywhere in the world. We strive to be the leading global business law firm by delivering quality, service excellence and value to our clients and offering practical and innovative legal solutions to help them succeed. Our clients range from multinational, Global 1000, and Fortune 500 enterprises to emerging companies developing industry-leading technologies, as well as government and public sector bodies.

OUR VALUES
In everything we do connected with our People, our Clients and our Communities, we live by these values:

• Be Supportive – we are compassionate and inclusive, valuing diversity and acting thoughtfully
• Be Collaborative – we are proactive, passionate team players investing in our relationships
• Be Bold – we are fearless and inquisitive, challenging ourselves to think big and find creative new solutions
• Be Exceptional – we are strategic and driven, exceeding standards and expectations

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
At DLA Piper, diversity and inclusion underpins how we live our values and everything we do. We believe that everyone has a voice, and that everyone’s voice counts. We know that the rich diversity across our firm makes us stronger, more innovative and creative, which helps us to better serve our clients and communities. We are committed to providing an inclusive working environment and culture across our global firm, where everyone can bring their authentic self to work.

Diversity of perspective, thought, background and culture combine to make us the leading global law firm; that’s why we actively seek to build balanced teams. We welcome the unique contribution that you will bring to our firm and actively encourage applications from all talented people – however your talent is packaged, whatever your background or circumstance and regardless of how you identify.

HYBRID WORKING
We recognise that people have responsibilities and interests outside of their career and that as a business, we all benefit from working flexibly. That’s why we are open to discussing with candidates the different ways in which we are able to support requests for agile working arrangements.

PRE-ENGAGEMENT SCREENING
In the event that we make an offer to you, and where local legislation permits and where relevant, we will conduct pre-engagement screening checks that may include but are not limited to your professional and academic qualifications, your eligibility to work in the relevant jurisdiction, any criminal records, your financial stability and work-related references.