This September, as part of our partnership with the Sutton Trust, Mishcon de Reya welcomed our third cohort of 16 students through the Careers Plus week-long work experience programme.
We hosted high-achieving young people from socially mobile backgrounds to provide an opportunity for students to develop and practise industry relevant skills, build confidence and network in a professional environment, and provide support to help them make informed decisions about their future careers.
Each student worked alongside a supervisor, shadowing their work and assisting with a variety of tasks. Students also had a busy schedule of sessions to provide further insight into a legal career including a Spotlight on Singapore session led by Stephanie Pierce and Dan Amroussi, and hearing from a panel of barristers from Fountain Court Chambers, Keating Chambers, XXIV Old Buildings, Three Stone and No5 Barristers' Chambers.
Students have also benefitted from a mentoring relationship with mentors from Mishcon de Reya and other partnering firms over the past few months.
One student commented, "I gained a deeper understanding of how a leading law firm operates, from client interactions to internal collaboration between teams. I also developed practical skills such as legal research, communication, and teamwork."
Edward Hughes-Power, Partner and chair of our Social Mobility Committee, reflected: "Our partnership with the Sutton Trust is an integral part of our social mobility strategy, giving us an opportunity to provide sixteen bright and enthusiastic students with valuable experience in the legal sector. Every young person – no matter what school they go to or where they live – has the chance to succeed in life and we want to play our part in helping to make that happen."
Alex Otubanjo, Employability Programme Manager at the Sutton Trust, commented: "This year has been a huge success, with the students incredibly appreciating the friendly environment Mishcon provided, whilst Mishcon were impressed with how engaged and talented the students were. Over the week, the students notably gained not only an increased understanding of how to succeed within Law, but also the various areas of law in practice.”
Earlier in July, we also hosted 20 sixth form students for a virtual session in the Pathways to Law scheme. Through this programme students had the opportunity to explore what entering the legal profession might look like with a variety of workshops, talks, and activities.
During the day, students were introduced to the firm by Academy Director Patrick Connolly and Maria Middleton and then took part in a commercial awareness workshop hosted by Karine Bashardust, with Owen Griffiths, Jasaron Bajwa, Tanay Vankayalapati and Gemma Wall. In this workshop, students were introduced to a fictitious client case study and undertook independent research on various client offerings and legal issues in the scenario, before sharing their findings with the wider group.
Students then attended a workshop on professional email etiquette hosted by Karolina Tomaite and Natalie Hunter. This was followed by a Routes to Becoming a Solicitor session hosted by Early Careers Manager Tom Wicksteed with Ffion Hopkins and Shaun Chinyanga, which students found particularly helpful to learn 'the routes to becoming a solicitor and the difference between the university and apprenticeship routes.' They were then joined by Lillie Hempsell, Tabitha Tennant, Molly Kiely and Kira Shaw for a Trainee & Apprentice Q&A, who provided insight from their own journeys into the law.
Lastly, an Interview Workshop with Hazel Chambers and Lily Munro outlined key do's and don'ts for interviews. In feedback from this session, students found this session to be "very educative, teaching [them] what questions to expect in interviews and how to respond to [them]."
Edward Hughes-Power commented "Partnering with the Sutton Trust has been a fantastic part of Mishcon's aspiration to help unlock opportunity and ensure a level-playing field for all young people wishing to enter the legal sector, regardless of where you come from. We aim to provide the opportunity for students to explore the legal profession and equip them with key skills for working at a commercial law firm."
Katy Hampshire, Director of Programmes at the Sutton Trust, commented, “We are delighted to have partnered with Mishcon de Reya for the past three years who offer a valuable experience for Sutton Trust students across the country to gain a unique insight into the firm, flex new legal skills and network with colleagues dedicated to social mobility. We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with Mishcon de Reya over the coming years and providing even more opportunities for our students.”