Life at Ashurst

At Ashurst, we have a work hard, play hard philosophy, so if you expect to spend your evenings and lunch breaks with your feet up then think again. Taking part in one of the firm's many clubs and societies is a great way to stay active, keep up with your favourite hobby and make new friends.

For sports fanatics, there are opportunities to represent the firm at everything, from rugby to running, and from field hockey to five-a-side football. Alternatively, you can challenge yourself with something a little more intellectual by learning Italian or Mandarin, or by testing your taste buds with Ashurst's very own Wine Society. 

The firm also runs a number of employee networks including the Christian Group, the Women's Network, the Multicultural Network and Spectrum & the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Network. 

Trust and early responsibility are at the heart of our culture. From day one our lawyers are encouraged to take ownership of the transactions, clients and business development responsibilities that they are involved in. That ownership means that our lawyers genuinely want to succeed in everything they do.

"Represent the firm at rugby or field hockey, challenge yourself with Mandarin, or test your taste buds at the Wine Society"

In the transactions-based environment in which we work, teamwork is crucial for success in obtaining the best results for our clients. Every team requires people with varying skills and our trainees are immediately aware that everyone who works at Ashurst is an essential part of the team.  

This respect for others and appreciation for the roles we all perform when working together makes us an open and supportive place to work. If you're looking for an easy ride then Ashurst isn't for you. In striving for exceptional results we ask a lot of ourselves - which can mean working long hours under the pressure of tight deadlines - but life here is certainly rewarding. At Ashurst you'll find colleagues who you will quickly call friends and a working environment that will transform you from a talented trainee into one of the leading figures in your field.

At Ashurst you will work as part of a team of high calibre individuals operating in a high performance environment.  We are creative, innovative, agile and incisive thinkers always looking for new and better ways of doing things.

You will enjoy an inclusive culture which genuinely values the breadth of individual perspectives and contributions that we gain from having a diverse workforce.  As part of a truly collaborative team working in partnership together with openness and respect across offices, geographies and specialisms, we support each other to achieve great things for our clients.  We take exactly the same approach with our people: we’re interested in understanding each other, finding new and better ways to bring out each individual's talents, and simply enjoying the interaction with other high-calibre, down-to-earth people. It’s a strong, shared culture that will enable you to apply your intellect, develop yourself and thrive as an international lawyer.

Working this way we will achieve our goals to be the best advisor and an exceptional place to work.

We expect a lot of ourselves – and so, as you would expect, you will need to be comfortable with challenges and pressure. You should also be able to express yourself confidently on paper and out loud, whether that’s among your team or in a client’s boardroom. 

Alongside all the hard work, we also have fun. We’re incredibly proud of our culture: we thrive when we’re collaborating; we care about our standards of client service; we’re willing to explore ideas and be accountable for their success; and as people, we’re good company. We will expect all of that from you, too.

Diverse organisations are more creative, more innovative and ultimately more successful. Ashurst has an instinctively inclusive culture but, like many professional service organisations, is acutely aware of the need to do more to address the lack of progress of our most talented women and other under-represented groups. We are implementing a comprehensive strategy to improve our performance in this regard and take the time to promote a range of diversity initiatives to retain and develop all of our talented staff.

"We are members of Opportunity Now, Stonewall and the Business Disability Forum"

Our LGBT, Family Matters, Women's and Multicultural networks hold regular events inside and outside the firm and raise awareness of the rich variety of backgrounds, faiths and cultures represented at the firm. We mark International Women's Day with a programme of events and celebrate Black History Month each year.

We developed our "Access Ashurst" work experience scheme to meet the social mobility aims of the PRIME initiative, and are signatories to the Law Society's Diversity and Inclusion Charter. We work in partnership with external organizations such as Rare Recruitment, the Sutton Trust Pathways to Law programme, OPEN (which encourages students with disabilities to consider careers in City law) and Blind in Business in order to widen participation.