Six join law firm’s new legal apprenticeship scheme

Sept. 24, 2012 - PRLog -- The six new recruits will be the first apprenticeships to join the scheme which was launched in July 2012.

Ellie-Louise Stenson, George Denton and Megan Sedgwick have recently concluded their A’ levels whilst Rudy Stewart has achieved a National Extended Diploma in Business Studies. Completing this year’s cohort is Helena Culligan who joins from Eon Energy, where she was a member of the Credit Management Team and Ryan Wise who comes from Mansfield based Glenair Manufacturing, where he was a Finance Assistant.
The scheme has been set up in partnership with West Nottinghamshire College and ILEX Tutorial College, which is the wholly owned college of The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx).

The apprentices will support the firm’s Technical Claims, Education and Property teams with a range of business support functions. In addition ILEX Tutorial College, in partnership with West Nottinghamshire College, will take the apprentices through the Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship in Legal Administration. The training element will be supplemented with additional legal specific modules on areas such as the law of tort and civil litigation from CILEX’s Level 3 qualifications.

Browne Jacobson is one of a handful of national firms that have developed their own apprenticeship scheme for young people keen to pursue a career in the legal sector.
The success of the scheme has already attracted the attentions of the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, who has invited Partner Susan Mabbott for an apprenticeship summit meeting to discuss the importance of apprenticeships and their future role within the legal sector.

Susan Mabbott, Partner at Browne Jacobson, commented:

“It is a huge privilege for us to be invited by the Deputy Prime Minister to talk about the success of the scheme in Nottingham and to play a role in shaping the government’s thoughts on the future of apprenticeships in the legal sector.
“The recruitment campaign has been a great success. The quality of the applications was really high and it was a tough task to get it down to the final six.
“We have a strong record in supporting young people and seeing them rise up the ranks. For us apprenticeships are an excellent way of giving young people valuable work experience whilst encouraging them to study for a nationally recognised qualification. They will also play an important role in helping us to meet our future legal needs as a growing business.”

George Denton, who has just completed his A levels, said:  
“This was an opportunity that really excited me and appealed to me on so many levels. The growth of the firm and the career prospects available is something that really drew me in and I just couldn't wait to start!”
Helena Culligan, who joined the scheme from Eon Energy, added:
“I have always wanted to be a lawyer but circumstances in the current climate are such that students like me are continuously fighting a battle between qualifying and being left with a significant overdraft due to tuition fees. Browne Jacobson has introduced a scheme that has been designed specifically to offer me an alternative way to enter the legal profession.”

Sandra Cowley, head of employer engagement at West Nottinghamshire College and director of Vision Apprentices said:
“We’re delighted to join forces with ILEX to support Browne Jacobson through the recruitment, training and launch of their first legal apprenticeship scheme.
“We have designed our business model to offer a flexible service that fully supports businesses to secure the much needed talents of young people.
“It’s rewarding to be part of this unique partnership which will enable people to progress in their chosen careers today to become the business leaders of tomorrow.”