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Is the legal sector leading the way in Social Mobility?
2012:
“Lack of social mobility in our society is not a problem that can be solved by one organisation or sector…[but] we need to take a collective responsibility and work together to find meaningful solutions. The legal profession is a great example.” Right Honourable Alan Milburn, Chair of the UK Task Force on Social Mobility
Who: An alliance of 80 law firms and legal departments across the UK who have made a commitment to broaden access to the legal profession.
What: Each firm commits to:
1)Offering a number of work experience places that is not less than 50% of the number of training contract places that we offer each year. Our headline target for the wider profession is 2,500 places by 2015.
2)Provide at least 30-35 hours of contact time per student
Partnership with clients has been central to success e.g. Baker & McKenzie and Google and Hogan Lovells & Vodafone
What: In its sixth year Smart Start has offered the below to over 600 17 year olds from disadvantaged backgrounds.
1)Work experience
2)Mentoring
3)Bursaries
Results: –We are seeing the impact in graduate recruitment–In 2013, 90% said they felt more confident/ambitious, 89% felt they’d developed skills need for a career in the City–Partnership with clients has been central to success, in 2013, the delivery of Smart Start was supported by 9 different clients. Some offered work placements for participants themselves.More info: http://www.allenovery.com/corporate-responsibility/probono-community/education/Pages/smart-start.aspx
Who: over 30 law firms, including Allen and Overy, Clifford Chance, DLA Piper, Eversheds, Hogan Lovells, Linklaters and Mayer Brown.
What: A full and varied programme of lectures, seminars, advice and guidance sessions, skills development workshops and interaction with undergraduate students and professionals through e-mentoring and a legal work placement. Targeted at 17 and 18 year olds.
Results: –Over 2000 students have benefitted since it was established in 2006 and another 1200 students will take part in the next four years.–Pathways to Medicine and Pathways to Property now established–42% of Pathways to Law participants from the first three cohorts were admitted to one of the twenty leading law universities, compared with 34% of a comparison group of similar students and 47% were accepted at a Russell Group or 1994 Group university.More info: https://www.pathwaystolaw.org.uk