Paid year-long placements at outfits including DWF, Hill Dickinson, and Taylor Wessing
A group of law firms has partnered with Liverpool University’s law school to launch a new law degree that allows aspiring lawyers to gain valuable on the job experience as part of the programme.
The new four-year LLB, dubbed ‘Law with a Year in Industry’, guarantees students the opportunity to spend up to a full year working within the Liverpool office of one of six participating firms.
The year-long internships are paid and take place in the third year of the degree, with students returning to university in the fourth year to complete their studies.
Liverpool Law School, one of the largest law faculties in the UK, also says that some of the time spent with a firm also counts toward the two years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) required to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales
The participating firms are Brabners, DWF, Hill Dickinson, In-House Legal Solutions, Taylor Wessing, and Weightmans.
Introduced alongside the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE), the changes to on-the-job experience allow aspiring lawyers to effectively bypass the traditional training contract process. They can now complete two years of qualifying work experience (QWE) with up to four different employers, including law firms, in-house legal teams, and law clinics.
Commenting on the new partnership, Paul Maddock, director at DWF, said:
“We are incredibly proud to support the University of Liverpool’s ‘Law with a Year in Industry’ programme. This initiative not only opens doors for students but also ensures they gain meaningful, hands-on experience in a real-world setting. By providing them with opportunities to rotate through various legal teams, we are helping to shape the next generation of legal talent.”
Prof Valsamis Mitsilegas, dean of the School of Law and Social Justice at the University of Liverpool, added: “This initiative is transformative for our students, offering them invaluable practical experience within high-calibre legal environments. By working alongside seasoned professionals, they will not only enhance their legal expertise but also gain vital insights into the real-world challenges and opportunities that define today’s legal landscape.”
This isn’t the first time law schools have collaborated with law firms to provide students with real-world experience. Queen Mary University of London runs a similar programme for its students, where one year is spent at a partner firm. The outfits on offer include: BCLP, Bindmans, Mishcon de Reya, Paul Hastings, Reed Smith, and Simmons & Simmons.
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