20 candidates to receive mentoring and work experience
Addleshaw Goddard (AG) is ramping up its efforts to improve social mobility within the legal profession with a new programme of support aimed at college students.
The firm’s year-long ‘Legal Explorer Programme’ aims to support A-Level or Scottish Highers students between the ages of 16-17, from lower socio-economic backgrounds, gain insights into careers in law.
Launching this October, each successful applicant will be assigned a mentor and given a laptop and sim (both of which can be kept after completing the course), in addition to a bursary to cover certain education costs. From there, AG, alongside other organisations, will run monthly skill-building workshops across four of the firm’s UK offices.
The 20 successful students will need to meet social mobility programme PRIME’s qualifying criteria. This includes, but is not limited to, students who are, or have been: in local authority care; in receipt of free school meals; part-time carers; or, who have grown up in a household where no parent or guardian attended university.
This training will wrap up with a week of work experience where students will have the chance to work with associates and partners from across the firm.
On the purpose of the programme, David Berry, inclusion partner for social mobility at Addleshaw Goddard, said:
“Our Legal Explorer Programme will give young people from less-privileged backgrounds the opportunity to build the skills they need to really stand out in the legal market. We will be giving the participants advice on all of the different routes into law, the various careers available to them and what the work of a legal professional looks like on a day-to-day basis. Programmes like this are crucial to show young people that a career in law is achievable, regardless of their background or circumstances.”
With this launch, Addleshaw Goddard joins the likes of Osborne Clarke, Ropes & Gray, Freshfields and Linklaters in offering experience and mentoring opportunities for school and university students from less-privileged backgrounds.
