TWENTY-four law graduates have secured employment with Allen & Overy (A&O) at its Belfast-based Legal Services Centre (LSC).
The hire is the firm’s largest single intake of legal talent in Northern Ireland where it already employs more than 400 people through the LSC and its Support Services Centre (SSC).
The new recruits beat stiff competition from graduates across the UK and Ireland and completed an intensive sixweek A&O training programme to secure the roles.
They will now support experienced lawyers on a range of international deals and cases.
As well as the recruitment of law graduates, the firm also confirmed the appointment of two senior scientifically qualified technical patent analysts at the expanding LSC.
Jane Townsend, A&O’s legal services centre chief, said: “We strive for excellence in every area of the business and were impressed by the calibre and ambition of all the candidates and those who have gained roles with us.
The 26 new additions have the chance to learn from some of the very best lawyers in the world and work on some of the most interesting and complex global deals and disputes.
“The Legal Services Centre in Belfast is regarded firm-wide as a centre of excellence and plays an increasingly important role in the way we deliver services to our clients across 43 offices.
We believe the positions we offer broaden the type of legal opportunities available in Northern Ireland and we are already planning our next intake of law graduates for later this year.”
Launched in 2011, the Belfast-based LSC and SSC are a core part of A&O’s strategy to change how it delivers global legal services and improve capacity and efficiency across the firm.
It is the firm’s third largest office by headcount and provides high quality business support in the areas of HR, IT, finance, marketing, library and business services as well as legal support.
The recruitment process for the next intake of law graduates is expected to commence in spring.