Bar Traineeship 2024

Are you eager to discover the life of a lawyer at a leading global business law firm? 

Our Bar Traineeship is designed to give you the very best start to your career and is an opportunity for you to discover first-hand what makes DLA Piper a different kind of law firm.
We pride ourselves on giving new lawyers a truly unique experience. We aim to give you the tools and experience to forge a successful career in law. That means combining learning with experience and giving you the opportunity to work with people at all levels of our business.

During the Bar Traineeship, you will join one of our practice groups and will work alongside our lawyers and our clients. Our practice groups are as follows:

• Corporate
• Finance
• Employment 
• Intellectual Property & Technology
• Litigation & Regulatory
• Real Estate
• Tax

Please note that we are currently only considering applications for our Litigation & Regulatory – Financial Services team. 

Our Bar Traineeship will enable you to discover your full potential. We create a culture of learning and development from the time you accept an offer with us:

• You will have the opportunity to hear from the firm’s senior leaders, participate in professional skills training, gain an in-depth insight into our practice groups, and attend networking events. 
• You will receive a personalised approach to your career journey to support and enable your growth, development, and success. 
• We will equip you with the necessary knowledge and tools to help to develop your career on the strongest foundation. We will provide you with opportunities for professional development through coaching, mentoring and peer-to-peer learning. 
• You will develop a global mindset through working in collaboration with colleagues around the world and will have the opportunity to apply for international secondment opportunities. 

Eligibility

To apply, we require you to meet the following eligibility criteria:

• You obtained or will obtain a Master of Law from a university in Belgium. For the opportunities in EU Competition law, Global Trade, or Governmental Affairs, a Belgian degree is not mandatory
• You maintain a strong academic track record, with consistently high achievements throughout your educational journey 
• You plan to graduate or start your Bar Traineeship in 2024
• You are fluent in English, and either Dutch or French

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 build your career in the legal industry
• Eagerness to learn and grow
• Connecting with others to create long lasting relationships
• Adapting your approach depending on the situation and in the face of any setbacks
• Alignment to our values

How to apply 
When submitting your application, please submit the following documents:

• Your CV
•  A motivation letter with indication of the practice of your preference
• Your academic transcripts (Bachelor and Master)

Please note that any missing documents may delay the processing of your application. 

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.