Graduate Recruitment
Meet our people
Ann Frances Cooney - Associate
Employment, Pensions & Benefits
University of Strathclyde, Law
I joined DLA Piper as a trainee back in August 2001 and have been with the firm ever since. I have specialised in employment law since I qualified. This offers a mixture of contentious and non-contentious work and has provided me with the opportunity to be involved with employment tribunal work across Scotland, England and Northern Ireland. It is an area which has exposed me to a wide client base, including retail, manufacturing, financial and public sectors.
I was attracted by the firm's commercial reputation and its strong ethos for training and development. We specialise in a wide variety of commercial law services, including real estate, corporate and litigation as well as offering the opportunity to gain experience in a number of niche areas such as IPT and planning. On leaving university, I was keen to specialise in employment law and DLA Piper has one of the UK’s largest and most respected employment, pensions and benefits teams.
As the firm was beginning to branch out on the international scene this also offered an exciting opportunity to become involved with a business that was growing in its presence not only in Scotland, but across Europe and the world. At the regional level the firm has now grown to be recognised as a leading player in the Scottish legal market. That growth and recognition has led to a wider available resource of not only clients, but colleagues that are available in other countries to assist or open doors to future projects.
DLA Piper is a global firm but it also has the culture of a local one. Everyone is committed to working hard as a team, to achieve the best results for clients. There is a positive, fresh outlook and a sociable atmosphere making it an enjoyable and fun place to work.
I have been fortunate enough to work with a number of other offices. The employment team in Scotland is spread between Glasgow and Edinburgh but we work very much as one unit. This is also true to an extent with our colleagues in England. The employment team is committed to their continuous training and development for solicitors at all levels and sharing knowledge and experience wherever possible.
DLA Piper invests a lot in its trainees and the training received over the contract was of the highest standard. Trainees are encouraged to get actively involved in work, be it participating in a transaction or a piece of litigation. The partners and other lawyers throughout the Scottish offices are hard working and keen to ensure that trainees are made to feel a part of the team. We are proud to deliver legal services to match the high expectations of clients.
Colleagues are friendly and always happy to help and assist in providing the best quality training. Trainees have a ‘hands on’ experience in order to develop their knowledge and skills to give them the best start at life as a qualified solicitor. Whilst trainees have the chance to 'get the sleeves rolled up' they are continuously supported throughout the training contract by the Graduate Recruitment Team who genuinely take an interest in the individual career aspirations. The firm is keen to retain staff and after qualification continues to invest in training and other development activities to ensure our lawyers are expert in their chosen field of specialisation.
Graduate Recruitment will keep in touch from when you secure your training contract until you begin. In that time, you will get to know your fellow future trainees and feel involved with DLA Piper and its values from the outset. There is a strong trainee network which provides good support and opportunities for a number of social events.
I am based in Edinburgh, a vibrant cultural city with a long legal history and thriving business centre. It is not only an exciting and bustling place in which to work, but there is always something to keep you entertained, be it the international festivals in the summer or the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
