International Arbitration Intern in London

Please ensure the following is strictly followed:

• Applications must be made exclusively via our portal. Emailed CVs will be immediately deleted.
• Do not contact Partners directly, all enquiries are handled exclusively by the recruitment team.
• Avoid making duplicate applications.
• This is a CV-ONLY based process. Please do not attach cover notes, academic transcripts, certificates or any examples of written work.
• Applications are considered on a rolling basis and accepted until the application deadline: 31 March 2026.
• To avoid technical difficulties with the application, we suggest applying via the careers page on the firm's website, rather than via LinkedIn.

This is a 6 month fixed term role, commencing in September 2026.

About us

Linklaters is a leading international law firm, providing legal services through 30 offices in 20 countries worldwide. Ours is an environment of outperformance. We achieve this by fostering a positive, supportive, and innovative culture with opportunities for our talent to thrive.

The Linklaters International arbitration team comprises more than 200 people worldwide, with more than 20 members based in London. The team keeps in touch with each other and up to date with work and client developments through global newsletters, monthly business development calls and regular training/off-site meetings. Members of the team work together across time zones/seniority on agreed projects and initiatives, including tracking economic and political developments in different jurisdictions to anticipate work opportunities, and other ideas. This is an exciting time to join, as we are looking to grow the Arbitration practice.

Through being part of the Arbitration team, this role would also become a part of the wider London Litigation, Arbitration and Disputes team – a team that prides itself (alongside top-quality investigations and disputes expertise) on being at the forefront of people development and Diversity & Inclusion initiatives for the London office more widely, and with active client/BD and innovation teams as well as a creative social committee.

Linklaters’ International Arbitration team acts in investment treaty disputes and commercial arbitrations for large multi-national companies, states and state entities. The team’s usual caseload consists of more than 100 arbitrations, many of which are multi-jurisdictional, conducted under the arbitration rules of all the major institutions and seated in arbitration hubs across the world. Members of the team are located across Linklaters’ offices worldwide and handle disputes across an even wider range of jurisdictions. The team’s work ranges from giving risk mitigation advice in advance of formal disputes, through to handling all aspects of an arbitration, including acting as counsel in final hearings, and representing clients in subsequent challenge/annulment/enforcement proceedings.

About you

We are recruiting Interns to join the London-based members of our International Arbitration team, but they will assist both the London team and the global team as required in relation to existing arbitrations as well as various knowhow and business development projects.

What we’re looking for:

• Graduate or post-graduate qualification(s) in international arbitration law and practice.
• Given the international nature of our clients and our arbitration work, varied language skills would be helpful.
• Experience of working on international arbitrations within a law firm would be ideal, particularly where that experience includes legal research and drafting submissions.
• Experience of participating in arbitration moot competitions (e.g., Willem C Vis Moot, FDI Moot, etc.), internships in international arbitration in law firms, work experience with arbitrators or at arbitral institutions, and other experience in fields related to international arbitration.
• Strong commercial awareness.
• Highly motivated and team-orientated and prepared to assist clients and colleagues (out of normal office hours) to meet deadlines.
• Performs well under pressure whilst maintaining excellent attention to detail.
• Able to comprehend, critically analyse and then use creatively large volumes of case information and documents.
• Fluency in English, with a proven track record of sophisticated legal drafting in English (e.g., pleadings, submissions, journal/research articles).

Your role

The role will likely include the following tasks:

• Research on aspects of investment arbitration, international commercial arbitration, public international law, private international law, construction law, energy law and other relevant areas of legal practice, and related drafting of internal and client memoranda, as well as relevant sections of submissions.
• Assisting with the preparation and filing of pleadings and submissions.
• Hearing preparation and attendance.
• Review and analysis of documentary evidence, including preparation of factual chronologies.
• Assisting in relation to the disclosure of documents.
• Participation in client meetings/calls.
• Monitoring developments in target jurisdictions from the perspective of anticipating potential BIT claims.
• Drafting articles for the ArbitrationLinks blog on recent developments in international arbitration.
• Involvement in marketing and Knowhow projects.

Our commitment to you

You will be part of a vibrant people business that loves working collaboratively in a positive, supportive, fair and open atmosphere. We respect and value difference but insist on inclusivity, celebrating all aspects of diversity because we want everyone to feel that they belong.

Start date: September 2026 (please ensure you can commit to this starting month full time for 6 months before you apply).

Duration: Six months.

Salary: £55,000 per annum (pro rata for duration of role).

This list of duties and responsibilities above is not exhaustive. It is intended to describe the general content of, and requirements for, the performance of this job. As such, the role may also include the undertaking of additional tasks as required.