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Who are we?
Allen & Overy was founded on 1 January 1930 by George Allen and Thomas Overy.
Today Allen & Overy LLP is a premier international network, and part of the magic circle.
We have more than
470
partners and a staff of over
5,000
, out of which
2,500
are lawyers,
operating from
36
offices in
26
different countries.
Allen & Overy Luxembourg, founded in 1990, is one of the largest practices in the country
with around
90
lawyers. We have a deep knowledge of local market practices and of
Luxembourg law, yet are expert in providing the highest quality international legal advice.
As a lawyer, your life is made easier by the support of some
50
employees. The whole
administrative team, from human resources to information technology, via marketing,
know-how management and finance, will answer all your queries. We make no
compromises in the support given to our people to ensure the success of Allen & Overy.
You will be enchanted by the brand new building, the comfortable facilities with a fitness
centre and a concierge, the technical infrastructure, the variety of the social events, the
modern working conditions and the lively atmosphere. Achieving a work-life balance is a
reality for us.
Banking and Finance
Corporate and
Commercial
Employment
Intellectual Property &
Information Technology
International Capital
Markets
Insurance
Investment Funds
Litigation
M&A
Real Estate
Regulatory
Tax
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Aude Tusamba – Tax associate
First-class training and
professional opportunities
All staff need training to enable them to deliver first-class quality products to our clients. Allen & Overy is known for its excellent training programmes, and offers a range of options corresponding to our needs and level of experience. I have participated in five different programmes to date:
– Managing Yourself gave me the opportunity to meet lawyers from other offices and practices, as it took place in England over a few days. I learnt about managing my work, managing others and about how to optimise teamwork. This course mainly focuses on your attitude and behaviour at work.
– The International Tax Practice Group gathers tax lawyers from all Allen & Overy offices. The aim is to discuss a specific tax topic and to understand the challenges faced by the various participants on this topic. There are usually two representatives per office who participate. The global tax offsite is a huge event gathering all tax lawyers from all Allen & Overy offices. During two days you attend
presentations by partners and working groups. There are also dinners and games. We once had a treasure hunt in Nice. It is a great opportunity to meet colleagues from other offices in a fun-filled atmosphere and forge real relationships.
– The local retreat is a meeting with all members of the team in the Tax department of Allen & Overy Luxembourg. It provides an opportunity to discuss the organisation of the department and participate in fun activities with your colleagues. In the Tax department, we also have technical briefings every two weeks during which we discuss law projects or specific points of Luxembourg tax law.
We also have the opportunity to write articles for specialist magazines and to take time to develop our know-how. Self-development is an important part of our job. Tax is a technical practice and you have to learn and read extensively to stay up-to-date. At Allen & Overy there is a real team spirit and you learn from people who have more experience than you.
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First impressions
I work in the banking department and am involved in transactions regarding syndicated lending, leveraged acquisition finance and debt restructuring, as well as insurance law.
I have followed the traditional path to become a Luxembourg lawyer by attending the Cours Complémentaires en Droit Luxembourgeois. Beforehand I obtained a master’s degree in international commercial law in Paris. I then completed a Mastère in international risk management dealing with international finance, economics and geopolitics at a business school. This dual qualification is clearly an asset for me since it has allowed me to better understand the various financing mechanisms that I meet in my everyday work and also ultimately the clients’ expectations.
Internships and early professional experience have been very helpful in developing my career at Allen & Overy. For instance, I worked in the international legal department of the world’s largest cosmetics company for one year. This was a good opportunity to handle cross-disciplinary legal issues and find the best way to answer the requests from the in-house “clients”. Today I really enjoy my job because I never stop learning and I really appreciate working for clients from all over the world.
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You and us?
Are we your perfect match?
Our values
Your assets and skills
Excellence in everyone
and everything
Legal education and
qualifications, excellent writing
and analytical skills, multilingual
Respecting and including
every individual
Social and networking skills,
open-mindedness
Dedication to our clients
relationship-building skills,
Good communicator,
easy contact with people
Working together as one firm
Team player
Helping our people
to achieve their potential
willing to learn, ambitious
Marketing skills,
Entrepreneurial spirit and energy
Motivated and personally involved,
decision making skills,
hard worker, innovation spirit
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Headcount
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
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Life in the Luxembourg office
I joined the Luxembourg office three years ago and have attended numerous social evening events during that time: go-karting, bowling, monthly social drinks, Christmas dinners and, of course, the annual skiing weekend! Most people from our practice and certain guests from other offices take part in this event. We all gather for evening dinner on Friday and Saturday, and the rest of the weekend is free to practise skiing, snowboarding or snowshoes. There is always someone at the same level as you, so you never end up being left on your own. We also have a party committee (Comité des Fêtes), of which I am a member, in charge of organising events throughout the year. The committee comprises lawyers and staff members who are re-elected
every two years. We try to be innovative and propose new types of events such as a day at an amusement park which will stay open later for Allen & Overy members and their families. Your supervisor is always invited to these major events so that she or he won’t try to prevent you from attending! These events improve the atmosphere and the personal relationships within the office. On starting the job, I was worried that the office might be too big, but it has been easy to meet people – believe me, mixing sports activities, party dancing and other indoor or outdoor events is an excellent recipe! Sometimes we also go out with our clients as it helps to create pleasant working relationships across the board.
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How Allen & Overy Luxembourg
helps me in completing my bar exams
I began working at Allen & Overy Luxembourg in October 2008, a fortnight before starting the Cours Complémentaire de Droit
Luxembourgeois (CCDL). After having obtained your degree in law you attend this course and when admitted at the exam you become a Luxembourg lawyer, with the title of Avocat. During the CCDL, you work in the office if your timetable gives you the opportunity to do so (with the real boon of being paid half salary) until the preparation of the January exams session. Work in the office (as time allows) enables you to gain an understanding of the various systems and support structures, such as IT, and to familiarise yourself with the library, where you can find answers to most of your questions.
You also gain an overview of how your department is performing and the kind of matters being worked on. The partner or counsel in charge of your education will give you achievable tasks so that you immediately feel you belong to the team. You are not expected to work in the office between the January and March exam sessions, which leaves you enough time to study (and your half salary continues to be paid during this period, which is of course greatly appreciated). After passing the exams, you start your two-year training and life in the “real” world as a full-time member of the team, getting more responsibilities as you progress. To complete your training you have to attend compulsory conferences or courses determined by the Luxembourg Ministry of Justice. Finally you get leave to prepare for the final bar exam which will give you the title of Avocat à la Cour and the status of Associate. I think the key to success is to take a nice week’s holiday before the preparation period and everything will go smoothly!
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Entrepreneurial spirit and energy
I joined the corporate team as a senior associate in June 2010. One of the things you learn early on in your legal career is that being a great lawyer isn’t just about having great technical skills. It requires real energy. The kind of energy that makes you look at that email one last time before hitting send, exhaust every source on your research project, and follow up with each new contact you make. The firm operates in a highly competitive market, and recognises the need for
entrepreneurial spirit right through the team. We are encouraged to keep in touch with the people we meet on deals, whether it be the client, an intermediary such as a financial adviser, even the other side. We get great support from the partners, and from the marketing and business development teams at both a global and local level. Each lawyer is given the opportunity to build his/her reputation in the market place and, in turn, to enhance the reputation of the firm.
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Your development at
Allen & Overy Luxembourg
The bulk of your apprenticeship will consist of hands-on experience in the everyday, real life world of the lawyer! Very soon, you will be working on cross-border transactions, and will face clients and colleagues of other offices much sooner than you would have imagined. Training is one of the most important things we do. You will regularly attend lunch meetings where senior lawyers discuss hot legal issues. Also, it will always be possible to sign up for external legal seminars upon request. Soft skills are, of course, not forgotten: IT, management and marketing training will help you become not only an excellent lawyer, but also a highly personable professional.
At Allen & Overy Luxembourg, there’s a real career path from trainee to partner, via associate, senior associate and counsel. Your performance is appraised each year and your efforts recognised and fairly rewarded. As an associate, you’ll also have the opportunity to experience work and life in a foreign office during a six-month secondment period. This will enable you to improve your integration within the group and make useful internal contacts as well as experiencing other legal frameworks.
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From start to counsel
I joined Allen & Overy Luxembourg in 2006 as an associate. Owing to my previous professional experience in a French and then a Luxembourg law firm, I was appointed senior associate in 2007. An associate will normally become senior associate after four to five years of practice or, at the very earliest, two years after qualification. The main goal in promoting an associate to senior associate is to give them the opportunity to gain increased responsibilities in areas such as transaction management, team leadership, client contacts, marketing initiatives and know-how sharing and development. As senior associate you gain more internal and external visibility and you become increasingly involved in the management of the practice.
In 2009, I was appointed counsel. As counsel, you have a high level of autonomy in your daily work, in both matter and team management.
To become counsel you must present a successful personal and business case to the partners, showcasing your achievements but also explaining your vision for the practice over the next few years and how you see your input contributing to the development of the office. As counsel at Allen & Overy, you participate in forums where you may express your opinions and your voice is heard by the partners. A possible next stage after counselship is partnership. The partnership selection is both an internal and a global process. Counsels who have been selected for partnership will receive specific training. The selected candidates have to present a strong personal case showing excellence in, amongst other areas, team and transaction management, and put forward an excellent business case. A partner candidate has to demonstrate both an in-depth market knowledge and exceptional legal skills.
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How A&O values and develops
international profiles
Being a lawyer at Allen & Overy Luxembourg means that you will be dealing with clients and colleagues from all over the world, and work on a daily basis in English as well as in French (and in some cases even German). Even if we are a true international office (with, amongst others, Luxembourgish, French, Belgian and German lawyers and staff) within an international firm, what makes us so special in Luxembourg is that we offer the opportunity not only to work internationally (this is common in Luxembourg) but also to meet colleagues from other offices at offsites or at legal and non-legal courses.
You may also go on a client or international secondment – that is, live a different life for six months and learn from another approach to legal issues. During my secondment at the London office for six months in 2008/2009, I was able to experience a new life and approach to the practice of law, to client care and management as well as to commercial negotiation. You get to meet great and interesting people, can experience life in another city and put yourself in the shoes of a foreign lawyer. Foreign lawyers encounter other types of problems and have different approaches to your field of work. Such experiences not only enrich your professional background, they are also a great way to further your horizons as a person and get to know yourself better.
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How the A&O values fit into my life –
dedication to our clients
As soon as you start working, you’re in contact with a broad range of clients and you build up your experience gradually on the basis of individual responsibility. After two years, you will handle a variety of matters, and you feel really valued when the clients thank you personally. I’ve really been surprised at how quickly responsibility falls on your shoulders and how you gain the trust of other lawyers in your team and the entire office. This makes you feel good! What does dedication to clients mean to me? Well, first there is communication. Even if you have a heavy workload you must keep in touch with your
clients and ensure that you have received all the correct instructions and information from them. Second, you must keep them informed of progress on their case. Finally, and this is the most difficult part because it relies on experience, you must think outside the box. Clients appreciate it when you understand their business and their worries, and if you are able to see a potential problem before it arises and advise them accordingly, they will be incredibly grateful. Clients do of course expect time flexibility, and, when needed, I am ready to offer it. In the end client satisfaction is your main driving force.
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Application
We would be pleased to meet you and answer your questions in
an interview.
Please send a curriculum vitae and a cover letter setting out your
reasons for application to:
Ms Claire Danda
Allen & Overy Luxembourg
BP 5017
L-1050 Luxembourg
Tel +352 44 44 55 1
Fax +352 44 44 55 296
Email claire.danda@allenovery.com
For more information please see our website:
33, avenue J.F. Kennedy
PO Box 5017
L-1050 Luxembourg
Tel +352 44 44 55 1
Fax +352 44 44 55 296
www.allenovery.com
Allen & Overy means Allen & Overy LLP and/or its affiliated undertakings. The term partner is
used to refer to a member of Allen & Overy LLP or an employee or consultant with equivalent standing and qualifications or an individual with equivalent status in one of Allen & Overy LLP’s affiliated undertakings.
Allen & Overy is an international legal practice with approximately 5,000 staff, including some 470 partners, working in 36 major centres worldwide. Allen & Overy LLP or an affiliated undertaking has an office in each of: Abu Dhabi
Amsterdam Antwerp
Athens (representative office) Bangkok
Beijing Bratislava Brussels
Bucharest (associated office) Budapest Doha Dubai Düsseldorf Frankfurt Hamburg Hong Kong
Jakarta (associated office) London Luxembourg Madrid Mannheim Milan Moscow Munich New York Paris Perth Prague
Riyadh (associated office) Rome São Paulo Shanghai Singapore Sydney Tokyo Warsaw Global Presence
