Freshfields unveils £10k bursaries for UCL law students
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has pledged to kick-start the careers of two aspiring lawyers each year by offering scholarships, work experience and guaranteed training contract interviews.
Will Lawes
The magic circle firm has joined forces with University College London (UCL) to provide two £10,000-per-year bursaries for UCL law students from socially and economically less privileged backgrounds.
The successful students will also receive an eight-week paid work placement at the firm each year throughout their degree, and will be eligible to participate in UCL’s bursary scheme to provide additional support of up to £3,500.
Freshfields senior partner Will Lawes said: “We live or die by the quality of people we attract. This [scheme] is part of the exercise to search far and wide for the best talent. We want to find people who might have that spark and attract them to a career in law.”
To apply, would-be lawyers will need to prove that they have the academic ability to succeed as a City lawyer and meet the criteria to measure their social circumstances.
The annual eight-week work placements will be split throughout each year, with the candidates undertaking two weeks in the Christmas and Easter holidays, and a four-week scheme in the summer.
“The financial side is important but we feel our commitment to eight-weeks [of work experience] a year, the mentoring, the inclusion in the firm’s social activities and soft skills training are key,” added Freshfields partner Barry O’Brien.
“With a guaranteed interview for a training contract and 24 weeks’ work experience with the firm, the scholarship students will have the perfect platform for a successful career with us.”
Readers' comments (4)
Anonymous | 20-Feb-2012 10:24 am
Excellent scheme with a reputable insitution, rather than some ex-polytech.
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Anonymous | 21-Feb-2012 10:23 am
UCL is an excellent choice. It has a law school which is at least the equal of Oxbridge but does not have the potentially off putting image. It is good to see a firm of the calibre of FBD start to take some action to underpin the inclusiveness message being spun by all the larger firms. Another really good example is Taylor Wessing currently taking a case to the ECJ pro bono challenging the criminalisation of homosexuality in Turkish-controlled Cyprus. It is very easy to put out marketing materials expounding equality. Firms which invest in meaningful initiatives such as these can be taken more seriously in what they say on the subject.
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Confused | 21-Feb-2012 5:11 pm
I may regret this but after so many comments in I feel I have to ask this: but why do people hate former polytechs so much? Seriously? I get it for commercial lawyers-to-be as they need snob factor to break into even the regional firms let alone London (where obviously its Oxbridge et al or no TC) but it seems that whatever area it relates to, former polytechs are looked down on as essentially the working-class of the University heirarchy even though many are on equal footing if not better in terms of quality than Russell Group uni's who are in that group ust because they get more Governmental funding? Are you just the same people who look down unfairly on Legal Execs (now Chartered)? And does this serious case of University snobbery affect those of us looking for a career in local/High Street practice?
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Anonymous | 12-Aug-2012 7:54 pm
Am a student of law in Ethiopia, Give me this chance pleas?
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