Seize your opportunity

It’s tough, right? Finding opportunities, applying for said opportunities, preparing for interviews, and bouncing back from rejection? International arbitration is a fantastic practice area but when it comes to applying for positions, there are two main downsides: (1) it’s (obviously) popular, and (2) you’re competing with people from all over the world.

We’ve got you covered, at least in relation to the first point: finding a position. Please see below for all the fantastic opportunities out there.

Please see heading 3 below for some tips when searching and applying.

Which institutions offer internships?

Pretty much all of them! Undertaking an internship at an arbitral institution is a fantastic way to gain more insight into the practice.

Please follow this link for internship opportunities at the following:

• Association for International Arbitration

• Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration

• Beijing International Arbitration Centre

• Hong Kong International Arbitration entre (HKIAC)

• International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)

• International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) (which, unsurprisingly, has many positions at many different locations)

• London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA)

• Organisation of American States (OAS)

• Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa

• Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)

• Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC)

• Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC)

• Swiss Chambers Arbitration Institution

• Tehran Regional Arbitration Centre (TRAC)

• UNCITRAL

• WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Centre

Quite a lot, right? Many offer several internships at different times of the year so there will always be something open. Not included above are a few other fantastic institutions, including PRIME Finance, an arbitral institution which focuses on resolving financial disputes.

Many firms offer international arbitration internships. Some do it on a very structured basis, i.e., have programmes that run each year (some with fixed application deadlines and others all year round), whilst others do so on a more ad hoc basis, meaning that you don’t know that the position will come up until it is advertised.

London:

Arnold & Porter

Debevoise & Plimpton

Shearman & Sterling

Three Crowns

WilmerHale

Paris:

Baker McKenzie

Bredin Prat

Clifford Chance

Freshfields

Orrick

Geneva:

LALIVE

White & Case

Hong Kong:

Herbert Smith Freehills

Sidley Austin

Singapore:

Herbert Smith Freehills

Squire Patton Boggs

No one does it better than Careers in Arbitration, founded by Amanda Lee. You can access the page here.

They regularly share internships or jobs as and when they are posted.

International arbitration is competitive, but there are a few things you can do to increase your chances.

To be honest, it’s a bit of a numbers game. Whilst you’re likely an excellent candidate, so are many other people. And sometimes, it may be something as simple as a language that gives someone else the competitive edge. So other than making yourself the best possible candidate, what can you do?

• Be aware that you can really benefit from positions being difficult to find as there will be far fewer applicants. So search! Careers in Arbitration has over 40,000 followers. That’s testament to how excellent it is but also means that any post will be seen by many others. Use Google to look for hidden opportunities, or even reach out to firms to enquire. Sometimes you can create your own opportunities.

• The obvious: Proofread a million times. Ask someone to review your CV. Apply way before the deadline if you can. Don’t be defeated. Continue working on yourself. Good things can take time.

Feel free to reach out to the team if you have any questions or further resources you wish to add!