In September, as part of our partnership with the Sutton Trust, Mishcon de Reya welcomed the second cohort of 15 students through the Careers Plus work experience programme.
High-achieving young people from less advantaged backgrounds joined us for the weeklong programme, giving them the opportunity to develop skills vital to the legal industry, build confidence and network in a professional environment, and get support to help make informed decisions about their careers.
Each student worked alongside a supervisor, shadowing their work and assisting with a wide variety of tasks. Students also had a busy schedule of sessions to provide further insight into a legal career including Spotlight on Singapore led by Stephanie Pierce, Vincent Sim and Agatha Hunt and hearing from a panel of barristers from Wilberforce Chambers, 11KBW, Keating Chambers and 4 New Square to learn more about a career at the Bar. Students will also benefit from a continuing mentorship relationship with their supervisor over the upcoming academic year.
In feedback, one student commented, "The week has been well organised, we were kept busy [and this] allowed us to have a better understating of multiple law sectors".
Edward Hughes-Power, Chair of the 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 fifteen bright and enthusiastic students with valuable experience in the legal sector. Every very young person – no matter who their parents are, 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: "It has been a pleasure partnering with Mishcon de Reya to provide a work experience opportunity for our Careers Plus students for the second year running – the students notably gained not only an increased understanding of how to succeed within Law, but also the various areas of law in practice. The experience Mishcon de Reya provided has been fundamental in increasing their confidence through the invaluable opportunities they provided for the students to work and network with partners and solicitors alike.”