A first-of-its-kind opportunity for UAE Nationals to experience life at the heart of a global law firm. Work in one of our world-leading Dubai practice groups or business services teams.
Explore the intersection between law and business. Find out how an international law firm makes an impact in the UAE and across the world. Develop the foundation of skills you need for a global legal career. You’ll do all this and more during your 12-month internship in our Dubai office.
Your time with us
You’ll play an active role in our teams and take on responsibility from day one. Experience the cutting edge of the legal sector and discover how law can unlock potential across the world and in your own career. See how our purpose-led organisation makes a difference beyond our day-to-day work through programmes like our pro bono work and sustainability commitments. The internship is your chance to see if law is a career you can thrive in.
You may be an aspiring lawyer wanting to join one of our practice groups. In these teams, you will attend court hearings, work with clients and develop your professional network.
Or, you may be an aspiring business professional. You will join a forward-looking, friendly team to develop knowledge and a range of skills curated to your own strengths. These teams include marketing and business development, legal project management, finance, knowledge and security operations.
You’ll also develop your personal and professional skillset through experiences that will be valued in any sector you choose to continue into. We’ll offer particularly successful candidates a permanent role when they finish their internship. You’ll choose your preferred practice groups and business services teams when you apply, and we’ll try to assign you to one of them for the programme.
During the internship, you will
- Work on a variety of interesting challenges across different sectors.
- Join a diverse and friendly team while collaborating with colleagues across the world.
- Have opportunities to engage with initiatives beyond your role, including technology, sustainability and pro bono work.
- Develop essential business skills through our extensive learning programmes and supportive culture.
- Get support from a network of supervisors, buddies and mentors to develop confidence and identify your own personal and professional goals.
- Be part of an international Early Careers community full of talented colleagues who will become part of your global network.
- Enjoy a working environment where your wellbeing is always a priority and your workload will be managed to ensure you can always deliver your best.
Eligibility
- You’ll be a UAE National holding a Family Book.
- You’ll be completing your Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in your final year of study, or a recent graduate or career changer.
- Students from any degree discipline can apply but only one application can be made per year.
What we look for
In addition to the eligibility criteria, we look for those with the skills that will enable success at DLP Piper and within a legal career. These include, but are not limited to:
- Motivation to work in the legal industry and start your career with us.
- A desire to learn more, proactively seeking opportunities to do so.
- Taking pride in every aspect of your work, where no detail is too small.
- Connecting with others to create long lasting relationships.
- Adapting your approach depending on the situation and in the face of any setbacks.
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.