Prince Harry's girlfriend starts Farrers vac scheme
Royal WAG Chelsy Davy has started a Christmas vacation scheme at the Queen’s law firm, Farrer & Co - a move which her peers at Leeds University hope will gain the institution kudos among employees.
The Zimbabwe-born blonde, who is dating Prince Harry, was snapped by waiting paparazzi as she popped out for a quick bite to eat from the Lincoln's Inn Fields-based firm.
One source at Leeds University, who is a close-friend of the Prince’s girlfriend, said: “She’s a really nice girl and works just as hard as everybody else - so I don’t see any reason why she shouldn’t she get work experience at the firm.”
The 23-year-old, who has an economics degree from the University of Capetown, is doing the two-week placement as part of the final stage of her two-year postgraduate law course at Leeds University.
Farrer & Co will be paying Davy £250 per week for taking part in the scheme and if she secures a training contract with the firm the heiress will pocket an annual salary of £32,000.
Fellow Leeds undergraduate Stephen Littlewood said the placement was great publicity for the university’s law faculty despite reports that Davy used her royal connections to secure a spot at the firm.
“I don’t think it’s right that some papers are saying that students from Leeds wouldn’t get a look in at the firm because that’s just not true. I think it’s great that she’s got it and it can only be a good thing that will gain the university kudos among employees,” Littlewood said.
This website called Davy for a comment but she was not available.
Farrer & Co declined to comment.
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Readers' comments (19)
Anonymous | 10-Dec-2008 2:49 pm
Unfair
That is so unfair - there are so many people who are desperate to get a place on a vac scheme and chelsy davy who probably will never pratice as a lawyer uses her future mother-in-law to get a vac scheme place. There's absolutely no justice in this world.
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Anonymous | 10-Dec-2008 3:20 pm
Unfair?
I'm sure it's not just Chelsy Davy who has used contacts to gain work experience. In fact I'd say almost half of the places filled are through contacts one way or another. Not unfair, just the way it is! And considering the use of so many networking tools these days if you haven't made any contacts in your relevant field, maybe you should look in to that?
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Anonymous | 10-Dec-2008 3:24 pm
Don't be so pathetic....!
Give the girl a break! The poor girl is doing a placement to try and get a training contract for a good City law firm and everyone has a massive hang up about it. At least she wants a career and isn't just planning of polishing the crown jewels for the rest of her life!
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susan demin | 10-Dec-2008 3:32 pm
its not unfair it is just reality
if you are an important client at a law firm or a bank then you can ask the question on behalf of your son, niece, grandson's girlfriend.
at least this girlfriend of a royal is working and studying. they are damned if they do and danmed if they dont. besides she might not marry harry.
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Anonymous | 10-Dec-2008 4:50 pm
Why is this unfair?
It is ridiculous to criticise this girl for using a contact to get a vac scheme. Chelsy is clearly an able girl with a good degree from a well regarded university. She’s as equipped as any other graduate to be a successful vac student or trainee.
The city is a place where friendships/ favours/ contacts/ nepotism play a major part on a daily basis. The sooner people realise this the better. It’s seems so bitter to say her vac scheme is ‘unfair’. The reality is that there are a huge amount of intelligent graduates applying for a limited no of placements/ training contracts. All are as able as the next to do the job. If all else is equal then what does the firm have to lose by giving the place to an associate of a client? It would be a fair assumption to say that Chelsy is well connected herself so could offer commercial opportunities to Farrer in the future.
Law firms are businesses not charities. Fairness doesn’t come into it. If an individual can potentially bring money to a firm then the job will be theirs. And that is the way it should be.
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E. Windsor | 10-Dec-2008 5:05 pm
Last post
1) The City IS a place where contacts are useful, but only when contacts think you've got talent, not just that you're famous. Nepotism won't get you far.
2) If Farrers gave CD a vac scheme because they thought she would get business through her own contacts, fair enough. But also stupid: who is going to give work to a firm because the 23 year-old girlfriend of Britain's thickest and most drunken royal works there?
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Anonymous | 10-Dec-2008 5:08 pm
Fair's fair
Who is to say that she did not secure the vacation scheme through the normal channels?
I acknowledge, there is a good chance that her connection to the Royal Family was at least an influencing factor for Farrers, but this remains unproven.
In any event, this must be viewed in context. Many hopefully young lawyers use their connections to give them that added advantage. One might even suggest that it demonstrates networking skills, a vital skill for a prospective solicitor, particularly if they wish to reach associate / partnership level.
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Anonymous | 10-Dec-2008 5:30 pm
Response to E Windsor
1) Disagree with this point. You'd be amazed how many thick but connected people there are in firms. If, by simply being there, an individual will bring £2m to a firm per year then simple maths shows that it makes sense to pay them £500k per annum as a rainmaker and pay some backroom geek £200k per annum to do the work.
The rest goes to the other partners who will say thanks very much.
2) Disagree. If one of CD's many influential contacts needs legal work done in London either now or in the future then why would they not use her as first port of call? If nothing else she could refer to someone else in the the firm.
3) Why refer to Harry as the thickest and most drunken royal? He's just a boystrous young man, no different to anyone else of his age, notwithstanding that his social preferences have no direct influence on his girlfirend's ability to do well on a vac scheme.
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jimmy | 10-Dec-2008 5:39 pm
old school ties firm
having previously worked at the firm, I can say for certain the more than 30% of the vac scheme places are given out on the basis of priviledge - CD is simply one of many
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Pain Hix Bitch | 10-Dec-2008 5:57 pm
A bit of glam
Poor old Farrers need a bit of glamour injeting into their fusty dusty image.
Ever since Ms Steel Magnolia departed for PHB they have reverted to type, so our Chelsy will serve to get their name back into Hello, OK etc.
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