Legal Intern

Role Summary

We are looking for candidates to join our market leading dispute resolution practice in Dubai commencing in August, September, December 2026 and January 2027 for a period of six-months internship. Your role as a junior member of the practice will be to assist with all aspects of the department’s caseload. An internship in our dispute resolution team will provide access to experienced lawyers and expose you to a wide-range of cross-border work, including some of the most complex, challenging and interesting projects and risk management issues/disputes in the market. This internship offers opportunities to work with experienced legal professionals and to gain practical knowledge and experience.

About Us

Freshfields is a Global Elite law firm, providing business law advice of the highest quality. We want to be the law firm that clients turn to for legal advice where it matters most, wherever in the world that may be. We deliver seamless service across borders, cultures and languages, and Freshfields’ MENA practice is central to this vision. Whatever your area of expertise, this is a place where you can be yourself and really flourish.

Practice Area

Our focus is on risk management and the resolution of disputes for our clients. The globalisation of business has resulted in more cross-border risks and disputes requiring high quality and co-ordinated advice.  The increased wealth and dynamism of Middle Eastern economies over the last decade has spurred a significant expansion in cross-border investment and trade involving countries in the region.  This, in turn, led to a dramatic increase in the number of cross-border risks and disputes involving the Middle East, which in 2009 led the firm to establish a dispute resolution practice based in Dubai.

There are three pillars to our dispute resolution practice:

• Commercial disputes: commercial arbitration, investor-State dispute settlement (investment treaty arbitration), DIFC/ADGM court litigation, managing onshore local litigation across the region and risk advisory work;

• Major projects: construction arbitration, major projects structuring and contract negotiation and risk advisory work;

• Global investigations: internal investigations, regulatory investigations, risk assessment and compliance related advice and general risk advisory work (covering business ethics and integrity issues and corporate economic crime, including bribery, corruption, money laundering, sanctions, fraud, etc).

Our firm has a pre-eminent reputation in all three areas of practice.  

Key Requirements

• Outstanding undergraduate and/or post-graduate qualifications in Law

• English language skills to a business standard is essential

• Arabic language skills to a business standard is desirable but not essential

• Work experience at a leading international law firm is desirable but not essential

• A demonstrable interest in international arbitration, major projects or global investigations would be advantageous

Remuneration

• Your salary will be AED 10,500 per month 

• You will be provided with accommodation in a serviced apartment in Dubai for the duration of your internship 

• You will be provided with a return economy class airfare from the nearest port in your home country to Dubai at the start and end of your internship 

• The Firm will also meet the costs of your residence visa, work permit and any other licences required to work and live in Dubai 

• You will accrue two days of annual leave per month to be used within your six-month internship and will be provided with medical insurance for the duration of your internship

Application Process

Please complete ALL the questions on the application form on Workday and upload the following documents as part of your application: 

• CV

• Academic transcripts

• Two written references (if available)

The application window will remain open until 28 February 2026.

Should you have any questions about the internship programme or application process, please contact Freshfields HR Team at menahr@freshfields.com before the application deadline.