BCLP launches unique international summer placement

updated on 08 July 2022

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International law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) has announced the launch of a unique international summer placement programme for students taking the double degree in English and French law at Queen Mary University of London and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Students on the dual programme will have the chance to work in the firm’s London office (its largest) as well as its fastest growing office in Paris, which has more than tripled in size.

The summer placement has been designed to show students how a fully integrated global law firm operates across multiple international jurisdictions, while simultaneously collaborating to anticipate emerging needs for its clients. Students on the dual degree can apply for a four-week summer vacation scheme at BCLP’s London office following their second year at Queen Mary University of London. If successful, they’ll have the chance to experience an additional eight-week secondment in BCLP’s Paris office once they’ve finished their third year of study at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Candidates can then apply to be assessed for a training contract based at the firm’s London or Paris offices. BCLP will support successful applicants to complete any post-degree professional training before they qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales or as an avocat in France.

Applications for this unique summer placement will open in September 2022 before closing on 15 January 2023.

Segun Osuntokun, UK partner in charge, said: “We’re thrilled that we are able to offer the students this unique experience across our two European offices with a pathway to potentially securing a training contract across our London or Paris office. In an increasingly global world the legal experience they will gain through exposure of working internationally and the breadth of legal practices within BCLP will stand them in good stead for a long and successful career in law.”

Olivier Mesmin, Paris co-partner in charge, said: “This opportunity also reflects the increasing needs of our clients to have lawyers who, not only advise on legal matters, but understand different business cultures and the exposure to both during their training is a unique opportunity for them.”