Middle East Summer Vacation Scheme 2025

Job Title

Intern

Job Overview

Our two-week Summer Vacation Scheme from Monday 16th – Friday 27th June 2025 is designed to offer outstanding opportunities for you to experience what a career at Clifford Chance in the Middle East involves. You’ll gain insights into our exciting, stimulating, and challenging work. You will be close to the action and will have the opportunity to work with experienced lawyers in two of our key practice areas – Corporate, Global Financial Markets, Projects, Debt Capital Markets, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Real Estate & Construction. You will have the opportunity to work on live deals, do pro-bono work and attend office-wide socials. Throughout the scheme, you will also receive the support of a supervising associate and trainee 'buddy' who will help guide you and will be someone who you can turn to at any stage. The expectation will be for you to be eager to learn, ask questions, and immerse yourself as much as possible. There will be many opportunities for networking and socialising with Clifford Chance employees in our UAE offices and you are encouraged to make the most of these and your time with us. At the end of the scheme, you will have the opportunity to attend a fast-track interview for the Middle East Training Contract. You will be paid AED 2,500 for the scheme and where applicable, flights and accommodation to partake in the Vacation Scheme will be covered.

Eligibility

The scheme is open to all penultimate year students, final years and graduates.

How to Apply

• Complete the online application form
• Take the Watson Glaser critical reasoning test.
• If you pass the Watson Glaser test, your application form will be reviewed by the recruitment team.
• Successful candidates at application review will be invited to a recorded video interview.
• If you are successful at the video interview stage, you will be invited for a virtual assessment day which is typically no more than 3-4 hours in duration. It will consist of a case study exercise (inclusive of a written exercise), a combined case study and competency-based interview with a Partner and Senior Associate from the region.

Who you will work with

Throughout the scheme, you will be supported by a supervising associate who will set tasks, provide feedback and be able to provide insight into their experience and career in the relevant practice area. Your dedicated trainee buddy will guide you through your tasks and will be on hand to answer any queries, legal and otherwise. Between the two, you will gain a snapshot of life and work at different stages of your career as a Clifford Chance England and Wales qualified lawyer in the Middle East.

What you will do

In each practice area, you will be involved with live matters, with general tasks ranging from corporate due diligence, legal research, and drafting ancillary finance documentation. There will be opportunities to attend presentations and ask questions about our practice areas, business professional teams, and our Training Contract. There will also be the opportunity to take part in pro bono schemes and learn more about our community affairs work, as well as networking and socialising with Clifford Chance employees in our UAE offices.

Your career experience so far

Outside of our academic requirements, you do not need any specific experiences or legal knowledge prior to applying for this role. However, we will need you to demonstrate attributes/skills such as:

• Strong commitment to building your career in the Middle East with Clifford Chance for the long-term and have strong cultural and/or familial connections to the region.
• Fluent Arabic writing and speaking skills are preferred for our Middle East programmes.
• Business awareness and problem solving with commercial insight and an ability to identify legal and business issues. You will need an inquisitive mind and an ability to articulate and apply your knowledge creatively in a solution-focused manner with an ability to explore and analyse ideas.
• An ability to understand our clients needs and provide exceptional client service, putting clients at the heart of everything you do.
• Leadership and collaboration skills with a natural enthusiasm for being a team player.
• An ability to multi-task, remain organised and thrive through challenges in a fast-paced high-pressure and high-performance environment with demanding deadlines.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, including being reliable and responsive, and providing regular updates to team members when needed.
• An ability to demonstrate a real desire to learn from those around you and with an ambition to progress and gain exposure within the firm and with clients.
• The ability and desire to take pride in your approach to work and your work output, including proactively seeking feedback and taking responsibility for your own career. You will take ownership of your work, being proactive, solution-oriented, accountable, and committed to continuous improvement.
• Knowledge of and a genuine interest in the role, firm and our clients with an understanding of how this aligns with your skillset and career ambitions.

How we will support you

The Early Talent Team, your trainee buddy and your supervisor will support you in preparing for the scheme and throughout the two weeks.

About The Firm

Whichever area of the business you join, you’ll become an integral part an innovative, diverse and ambitious team of people. Clifford Chance is a place where the brightest minds and the best of colleagues meet. We are one of the largest international law firms in the world. With over 30 offices across the globe, we strive to exceed the expectations of our clients, providing them with the highest-quality advice and legal insight, which combines the firm’s global standards with in-depth local expertise.

Our one firm global strategy is focused on targeted growth led by the needs of our core clients, those who we can best support with the breadth and depth of Clifford Chance expertise, across the sectors and geographies, which matter most to them.

Our firm, work and people span jurisdictions, cultures, and languages. We offer our clients a truly international perspective. We believe every career should be rewarding and stimulating - full of opportunities to learn, thrive, and grow. That’s why we’re so proud of our inclusive, friendly, and team-based approach to work.

You’ll find our clients in commercial and industrial sectors, the financial investor community, governments, regulators, trade bodies, and not-for-profit organisations. But no matter who they are or why they’ve reached out to us, we provide a world-class service every step of the way. And that’s possible thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit and conscientious approach to work that you’ll find across all of our teams.

Equal Opportunities

At Clifford Chance, we understand that our true asset is our people. Inclusion is good for our team and their families, our firm and society. We are committed to treating all employees and applicants fairly and equally regardless of their gender, gender identity and expression, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, national or ethnic origin, social or economic background, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation, or age. This applies to recruitment and selection, terms and conditions of employment including pay, promotion, training, transfer and every other aspect of employment.

We have a variety of flourishing employee networks. These networks are a place for colleagues to share experiences and advocate for change wherever they see an opportunity for improvement. Our goal is to deliver an equality of opportunity, an equality of aspiration and an equality of experience to everyone who works in our firm. Find out more about our inclusive culture here.

Location

Your Vacation Scheme will take place in our Dubai or Abu Dhabi offices

Work Pattern

Monday-Friday (core hours 0900-1800)

Reports To

Early Talent Team

Career Band/Role Type

Internship