BLP sends new recruits to Sandhurst

Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has turned its back on traditional teambuilding workshops and has instead sent its new intake of trainee solicitors to a training camp at military academy Sandhurst.

Fortunately for the trainees who took part there was precious little mud involved during the three-day programme - dubbed Career Development Core Zero (CDC-O).

Litigation and dispute resolution trainee Alexandra Lofthouse said: “CDC-0 really prepared me for my first proper day. It was also a great way of getting to know my intake and doing the assault course was also a massive bonus.”

Built around BLP’s career development framework, the course aims to transfer some lessons the military teaches its new cadets through a mixture of workshops, assault courses, leadership tasks and teamwork exercises.

In-house trainer at BLP Stephen Weiner said the firm has run the programme at Sandhurst since March last year and claimed the course gives trainees a wide range of skills which they can build on as soon as they join the organisation.

“It’s a big jump going from being a student into full-time employment and this really helps them to get focused for their first day at work,” said Weiner.