Lawyers to be schooled by aspiring lawyers in four-month partnership
BPP University Law School has launched a reverse mentoring scheme that sees its law students review the diversity and inclusion policies of law firms across the North of England.
The Reverse Mentoring Scheme sees 60 law students from a diverse range of backgrounds partnered with 12 law firms across Leeds and Manchester, including DWF, Gateley PLC, Mills and Reeve and Weightmans.
The law firm mentees and student mentors will engage in a series of consultations, reviewing the firms’ diversity and inclusion strategies. The focus of these consultations are agreed beforehand but could include reviews of the firms’ websites, their social media presence and their recruitment and progression policies.
Through the four-month partnership, participating law students will receive an introduction to company culture, values and business strategies, as well as the opportunity to tap into the industry experience accrued by their mentees.
Tim Maddison and Victoria Walden, heads of law at BPP University Law School in Leeds and Manchester respectively, said:
“We couldn’t be more delighted to launch BPP’s Reverse Mentoring programme out of our Leeds and Manchester law schools. BPP’s student body is fantastically diverse, and we hope this programme will help to widen access to the legal profession not only for our students, but for all future lawyers. We very much look forward to hearing the findings and recommendations from the programme and to rolling out the scheme on a national basis.”
This scheme is the latest in the trend of law firms boosting their efforts to promote diversity and inclusion within the profession.
Legal Cheek last week reported on Shoosmiths’ tie-up with Aston University that will see them prepare disadvantaged sixth formers to study law at university.
Meanwhile, in autumn last year, Osborne Clarke launched a mentoring scheme providing secondary school students with CV and interview support. Freshfields and Linklaters both launched their mentoring schemes for sixth formers earlier that year.