Two-week programme for aspiring lawyers from unrepresented groups
Fieldfisher has teamed up with exercise equipment specialist Peloton to create a new vacation scheme-style work experience programme for aspiring lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds.
The firm says the new programme, dubbed the Diversity Access Scheme, will help successful candidates develop those all-important personal and professional skills while also providing them with an insight into life at a City law firm.
Solicitor hopefuls will also have an opportunity to hear from the in-house legal team at Peloton — one of the firm’s top clients and probably best known for its interactive spin bike (pictured top) — who will offer a snapshot into their working lives and explain what clients look for in their lawyers.
But the scheme doesn’t end there. Those lucky enough to secure a spot will be invited to apply for an additional two weeks of work experience with Peloton’s in-house legal team in London.
The main programme, which runs over two weeks next summer, is available in Fieldfisher’s London, Manchester and Birmingham offices. Participants will receive a minimum payment of £250 per week, although this may be adjusted upwards by the time the scheme comes around.
Eligible candidates will need to be “dedicated to a career in law” and on track to achieve, or have already received, a 2:1 in any degree discipline. They will also need to be from a background that is underrepresented in the legal profession. This includes, but is not limited to, students from a minority ethnic community, LGBTQ+ students, students with a disability and state-educated students.
The Legal Cheek 2022 Firms Most List shows Fieldfisher recruits around 18 trainees each year on a starting salary of £43,500 in London and £29,500 elsewhere.
News of the programme comes just days after Macfarlanes launched a new ‘vac scheme app’ that provides users with a range of “mock trainee tasks”. The firm said it had created the app to make work experience opportunities at City firms more accessible to all, “regardless of location and background”.
Keen to find out more about life at the firm or a life in law more generally? Why not sign up to the Legal Cheek UK Virtual Law Fair. It takes place on Thursday 4 November, between 2-5pm, and features 70 law firms, including all the magic circle and leading US firms’ London offices, international firms, and national firms across the UK.
