Legal Summer Internship
At William Fry, we are committed to providing ambitious, driven students with opportunities to build a great legal career with us.
Our Summer Internship Programme is a key part of our graduate recruitment strategy. It gives talented students the opportunity to experience life at William Fry, develop their skills and gain valuable insights into a career in law, while helping us to identify and support the next generation of lawyers to let their talents shine.
Our Summer Internship programme introduces you to life at a top-tier corporate law firm. Each year, we run two programmes, one in June and one in July, providing students with hands-on legal experience, structured learning, and exposure to our firm’s culture.
Our Summer Interns are assigned to a legal department and work alongside trainees and lawyers on real client matters. Our programme includes professional development sessions, networking opportunities, and social events, all designed to give you a well-rounded experience of our firm’s work and culture.
Learning and Development
We take a skills-focused approach to our interns’ development, you participate in tailored sessions with our professional development team, including workshops on presentation skills and business writing which are essential tools for any aspiring lawyer. These sessions are designed to help you develop both legal expertise and important soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, and commercial awareness.
As part of the programme, you also complete written and presentation assessments. These assessments are designed to help you demonstrate your ability to communicate clearly, structure your ideas, and present your findings confidently – all key skills for a successful legal career.
Career Pathway
For many interns, the Summer Internship Programme is the first step towards building a legal career at William Fry. It gives you the chance to experience life at the firm, show us your talents and get a real sense of what your future could look like here.
Department Exposure / Hands-on Experience
Interns are placed in one of our legal departments, where they work alongside lawyers and trainees on real client matters. Each intern is assigned both a dedicated mentor (Partner) and a buddy (Trainee) within their department, ensuring they have both strategic guidance and day-to-day support throughout the programme.
Interns sit with their teams in open-plan offices, giving them visibility into how legal matters unfold while enabling them to contribute to genuine client work. From conducting legal research and drafting documents to attending internal briefings and client meetings, interns gain first-hand experience of the pace, complexity, and expectations of a top-tier corporate law firm.
This structure is designed to mirror the experience of a trainee, providing interns with a genuine feel for the work environment and expectations. It also helps them build relationships with professionals across the firm, supporting their professional development and integration into the team.
Firm-Wide Insights
To build legal and commercial awareness, interns attend sessions where Partners and lawyers at all levels across the firm share their insights and experiences. This gives them an opportunity to learn about the different practice areas, a variety of clients, and the day-to-day work involved in each of our departments.
Bring a Different Perspective
Innovation is part of how we approach our work and how we help clients solve complex problems. You’ll see how technology, commercial thinking and new ways of seeing complex matters are changing the legal profession and how these different perspectives can lead to exceptional client outcomes.
Our Summer Internship programme is designed to give you a genuine feel for what a career is like at a top-tier corporate law firm. You are encouraged to get involved from the start by asking questions, sharing ideas, and contributing to your team on a range of projects and initiatives.
Weekly social events are organised throughout the programme to help you connect with other interns and build relationships across the firm. These events provide you with the opportunity to build your network and expand your professional circle.
William Fry fosters an open-door culture that is inclusive and collaborative giving you the confidence to explore, learn, and thrive.
Interns who demonstrate strong performance and align with the firm’s values may be offered a traineeship contract, opening the door to long-term professional growth within the firm.
We recognise that every candidate brings a unique combination of experiences, strengths, and skills. At William Fry, we review each application in its entirety, considering academic performance, personal qualities, and potential. While a consistent academic record and a 2.1 degree or above are required, they are only part of the picture.
We are looking for candidates who are naturally curious, commercially minded, and demonstrate a keen interest in pursuing a career with a top-tier corporate law firm. The ability to communicate well, pay close attention to detail and work effectively with others, are all qualities we look for in our summer interns.
From the very beginning, interns are trusted with real work and encouraged to get involved. Whether your background is in law or another field, what matters most is your enthusiasm, your approach to new challenges, and your willingness to make the most of the opportunities available during your time at William Fry.
- Fully paid internship
- Accommodation support for interns living outside of Dublin
- Interns receive a daily allowance for our onsite restaurant
- On-site gym and access to personal training sessions
- Weekly social events
- Opportunity to secure a traineeship contract