UK Top 50 law firm, Birketts, offered students around the country the chance to take part in a week-long work experience programme designed to widen access to the legal profession.
After a successful pilot last year, the Social Mobility Insight into Law Experience (SMILE) gave year 12 or equivalent students wanting to pursue a legal career an exciting opportunity to work at the firm from 7-11 April.
Birketts invited those interested from its partner schools who met the PRIME criteria to speak to their careers leads about applying for the programme, with the 2025 scheme receiving more than 80 applications.
A total of 17 individuals were selected, including two students in Sevenoaks and three in each of the other office localities involved – Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London and Norwich.
All students who were unsuccessful following an interview were offered an online CV and interview skills workshops.
At the start of the programme, students completed a comprehensive induction to set them up for success and teach them the soft skills they need to be in an office environment.
They completed two seats during the week, gaining direct experience by working with fee earners from many Birketts teams including Family, Employment, Corporate, Dispute Resolution, Real Estate Finance, Regulatory and Corporate Defence, and more.
They spent their afternoons taking part in legal workshops – from core practice areas to niche ones – as well as business services workshops, and interview and CV skills workshops.
Students also heard from universities including University of Cambridge, University of Essex, University of Suffolk, University of Law, University of East Anglia, and University of Kent. Each University spoke to students in one of six of Birketts’ office localities, sharing information about their law courses and offering UCAS application tips.
The week ended with a celebratory farewell lunch in each office, a presentation educating the students on the various possible routes to becoming a lawyer and a Q&A panel, which included Partners and colleagues from across the business sharing details of their varied routes into law.
Lizzy Ferguson, Early Careers Officer in the HR team at Birketts, said: “Our SMILE programme has seen rapid growth, quickly becoming a standout initiative in our commitment to widening access to the legal profession.
“This year’s programme was a resounding success, delivering invaluable insight and inspiration to students from underrepresented backgrounds. We’re proud to share that 100% of participants said they would recommend the experience to a friend. The firm have been fantastically supportive of SMILE and we are hopeful to grow the offering again next year.”
