FAQs
Americas
United States
How will Mayer Brown support my professional development as a new lawyer?
We have a robust training and professional development curriculum that covers legal and non-legal skills for all levels of lawyers. This curriculum includes training on business development, networking and marketing, leadership and business acumen.
Will I receive mentoring and guidance as a junior lawyer at Mayer Brown?
Every junior lawyer here is assigned a mentor when they join. Your mentor provides guidance and support that is critical in the early stages of your career. Furthermore, you’ll develop a number of informal mentors over time as you work and interact with other lawyers.
Do lawyers work together across offices?
We are an international law firm with a collaborative culture, enabling us to respond to our clients’ unique needs and opportunities.
How can I learn more about Mayer Brown's diversity initiatives?
We are committed to diversity and inclusion, because it is the right thing to do and because it makes business sense. To learn more, visit www.mayerbrown.com/diversity/
Are Summer Program social events mandatory?
No, they are not mandatory. However, we encourage you to attend the social events—formal and informal—because they are an excellent opportunity for you to get to know our people in a more casual setting and to experience interesting city sites.
What is the summer associate salary?
Summer associate compensation is based on an annualized salary of $225,000. Associate compensation is based on an annualized salary of $225,000.
What support services are available to summer associates?
Summer associates have access to the firm’s network through mobile devices and are also assigned secretaries. We offer global document services and proofreading assistance with the capacity to assist our people 24 hours most days (with limited weekend and holiday staffing) and our global library staff provides expanded hours of support to assist with research requests.
What is the dress code?
We have a year-round business-casual dress code. Lawyers are required to keep an outfit of traditional business attire in the office in the event of unplanned meetings or court appearances.
Americas
Brazil
What is the salary for interns?
Intern compensation is based on your school year, so there isn’t a standard amount. Annual salaries range from R$18.000 to R$31.200,00
When does the Intern Program start?
Our interns start in February or August..
How long does the program last?
According to the Brazilian Legislation, students are welcome to stay with us until they complete 2 years of internship contract, or until they graduate, whatever occurs first. If the supervising partner recognizes potential in a student, they will be invited to continue with us for as long as the partner offers.
As an intern, how many practice areas will I work in?
Our interns are generally allocated to one practice area, considering their main interest.
Are the Internship Program events mandatory?
Yes, we advise that you attend our program events. These events, both formal and informal, are a great chance for you to get to know our people, practice areas and clients, as well as the other interns.
How well integrated are the offices? Do lawyers collaborate across offices on deals?
We are a global law firm with a ‘one-firm’ culture. With a powerful transatlantic and transpacific platform, our practices operate on a global basis, enabling us to respond to our clients’ unique needs and opportunities.
How will Mayer Brown support my professional development as a new lawyer?
We have a robust training and professional development curriculum that covers legal and non-legal skills for all levels of lawyers. This curriculum includes training on business development, networking and marketing, leadership and business acumen.
Will I receive mentoring and guidance as a junior lawyer at Mayer Brown?
Every junior lawyer here is assigned a mentor when they join. Your mentor provides guidance and support that is critical in the early stages of your career. Furthermore, you will develop a number of informal mentors over time as you work and interact with other lawyers.
What is the dress code?
Traditional business attire is expected in the Brazil offices at all times.
Europe
United Kingdom
Where can I find the application form?
You can access the application form via www.apply4law.com/mayerbrown/
When do applications open?
Applications for our Training Contracts, Vacation Schemes, and Open Days all open on 1 September 2024. Applications to our Solicitor Apprenticeship open on 1 January 2025.
Am I eligible to apply for a place on a Vacation Scheme?
Our Vacation Scheme is open to penultimate-year law, final-year law and final-year non-law undergraduates, and graduates. For more information please see the ‘Vacation Scheme’ section on this website.
I didn't study law at university. Can I still apply?
Yes, we welcome applications from candidates with degrees from all disciplines.
Does it matter that I attended a non-Russell group university?
It doesn’t matter which university you go to; we value diversity and operate a blind CV policy to avoid any unconscious bias during the process.
Does it matter if I don't meet your minimum grade requirements?
We take all relevant information into consideration and look at your application as a whole. We do not have a minimum A-level requirement for our Training Contracts and Vacation Schemes, and if you didn’t reach the minimum requirement for a 2:1 in your degree or equivalent, we ask that you provide any mitigating circumstances surrounding this in the relevant part of the application form.
I have a disability. However, I am concerned that if I disclose this that it will impact my application. Does the firm support applications from candidates with disabilities?
We would strongly encourage you to apply and detail the support you may need on the relevant part of the application form. We also ask that you contact our graduate recruitment team at grecruitment@mayerbrown.com to discuss the support you require further. It is important we can ensure appropriate reasonable adjustments are made when necessary during the recruitment process.
How long will I have to wait before I hear back after submitting my application?
Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an automatic generated response to confirm we have received it. We aim to communicate decisions as soon as possible.
What are the dates of your Vacation schemes?
Our Vacation Schemes run for 2 weeks. The dates for our 2024 Spring and Summer Vacation Schemes are as follows:
Spring: 31 March to 11 April 2025
Summer: 9 to 20 June 2025
When should I apply for a Training Contract?
If you are in your penultimate year of a law degree, you should submit your application after you have received your second-year law results. Non-law undergraduates should submit an application in the final year of their degree. All other graduates can submit their application at any point in the recruitment cycle. All applications open on 1 September each year. However, we recommend that you apply for a Vacation Scheme rather than directly for a Training Contract; the vast majority of our Training Contracts each year are offered to high-performing participants on our Vacation Schemes so that is the most effective way to secure a Training Contract with us.
When is the deadline for applications?
The deadline for our vacation schemes is 16 December 2024. Applications to our training contract close on 31 March 2025. This year, the deadline for our open days is 16 October 2024. Finally, apply to our solicitor apprenticeship before 31 March 2025.
We review all applications on a rolling basis.
Do you sponsor/provide maintenance for the PGDL and SQE?
Once you’ve accepted a training contract with us, we’ll pay your course fees for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) and the Law Foundations Course (PGDL) during the year of study. We also provide a maintenance grant of £20,000 for the SQE and £12,500 for the PGDL.
Note: All those who have accepted a training contract with us before starting the PGDL/SQE must complete it at BPP Law School in London.
Are secondments available during the Training Contract?
Yes, trainees are given the opportunity to complete a secondment during their Training Contract. A secondment could take you to one of our international offices. If you don’t want to stray too far, we also have client secondments in London too.
What benefits does the firm offer for trainees?
We offer a range of benefits including an on-site GP and counsellor, 25 days’ annual leave, subsidised canteen and gym membership, access to life insurance and automatic enrolment to the firm’s Contributory Pension Plan.
Where can I find information about your Solicitor apprenticeship?
Between 1 January - 31 March 2025, we will be accepting applications for our Solicitor Apprenticeship program starting in September 2025. For further information on this apprenticeship program, please see the Solicitor Apprenticeship section under our programs on this website.
Do you run any open/insight days?
Yes, our open days are open to students and graduates of any degree discipline and at any stage of their education or career. Our next open days are taking place on Wednesday 23 October and Tuesday 19 November. Applications open 1 September and close on 6 October 2024. You can register to attend on our website www.apply4law.com/mayerbrown/.
How do I contact the graduate recruitment team?
You can contact the graduate recruitment team via email at grecruitment@mayerbrown.com and we endeavour to respond to your query within 5-10 working days.
Europe
Germany
How do I apply for a job or a program?
If you’d like to apply for one of our Intern Programs, a legal clerkship or for a position as a lawyer, please submit your application by email to: career@mayerbrown.com. Be sure to include your CV, cover letter, references and certificates.
Do you employ interns all year round or only recruit at certain times of the year?
We are open to employing legal interns at any time throughout the year. However, our Summer Internship Program runs in August. To find out about our current opportunities outside of the Summer Internship Program, please visit our careers page.
Will I have an induction?
Yes, new joiner inductions start with a basic introductory session, as well as training on our IT systems. To ensure you have the support you need, we also offer a mentoring program.
Will I be allocated to one specific practice area or do I change departments during the Internship Program?
We employ legal interns based on specific business needs, which means you’ll be firmly integrated into your practice group from day one.
Are there opportunities for an international secondment?
Yes, we offer the chance to work on projects in one of our other global offices. Each secondment is judged on a case-by-case basis and depends on business needs. Once you have sufficient experience, we also offer secondment opportunities to work in our clients’ legal departments.
Do I need to earn my LL.M in an English-speaking country?
We believe an LL.M. program in an English-speaking country will help you acquire the ability to handle legal English and give you an understanding of different cultures. From day one, you’ll do a large part of your work in English, and, more broadly, we find that people who have experienced different cultures from living abroad quickly settle into our ‘one-firm’ global culture in which we continually collaborate with our international clients and colleagues. In general, an LL.M. is very welcome but is not a hiring requirement.
Are there alternatives to an LL.M. program?
Yes, you can also learn legal English by spending time abroad. For example, you can choose to complete an internship or a stage of your clerkship abroad, where you will gain valuable experience and learn about other cultures.