KFC is looking to hire its first trainee.
The successful candidate will initially be taken on as a paralegal in the Woking office of the popular fried chicken purveyor, and one of their tasks will be to help set up the trainee programme and “craft the training contract they they really want,” KFC’s European Legal Director Sarah Nelson Smith told Lawyer 2B.
“We were initially looking for a paralegal, but these days it is less and less likely that we would find one who is massively enthusiastic and driven and doesn’t also want to be a fully qualified lawyer,” Nelson Smith said. “We looked at the structure of our company and how global it is and saw there is such a huge amount of opportunity for a lawyer to grow and develop that it just made sense to have a trainee.”
KFC will partner with Eversheds, who will help deliver specific training. Depending on how the training contract develops, there may be the opportunity for a ‘trainee swap’ with the firm.
The fast-food chain is not asking that applicants have a 2:1 degree, saying: “We value academic achievements, but we have removed the requirement for a 2:1 minimum degree. Instead, we want you to show us your strengths, potential and passion for building your career with us.” Applicants must, however, have passed the LPC.
The company does suggest that the ideal candidate will have at least a year of experience as a paralegal or other commercial work experience.
As well as Woking, the team is based in Dusseldorf and Amsterdam and also covers Milan and Madrid, so there may be opportunities for travel for those with language skills.
