Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is appointing two partners as mentors to each trainee intake, with the firm also moving to split the trainee function within its HR department into two separate roles.

Trainee partner Simon Johnson has named intellectual property partner Chris Forsyth and corporate partner Farah Ispahani to mentor this February's intake throughout their training contracts, while tax partner Paul Davison and corporate partner Kathleen Healy will take on August's intake.

Johnson has retrospectively appointed employment partner Jocelyn Mitchell and finance partner Stuart Axford to mentor the February 2009 intake, as well as consultant Vanessa Knapp and partner Karen Fountain for the August 2009 intake.

The mentors will make themselves available to talk over any aspect of trainees' experience, including seat moves, secondments and qualification. They will not directly assess the trainees.

Johnson (pictured) told Legal Week: "[Our trainees] will get to know their trainee intake partners very well at the outset and will then have the benefit of regular one-on-one discussions on their plans and their development generally. This will hopefully help them assess – on an impartial basis – the wide range of options available to them during their training contracts and beyond."

Separately, the firm has split the trainee function within HR into trainee recruitment and trainee development in a bid to focus on strengthening relationships on campus.

Trainee recruitment will be led by UK trainee recruitment head Lizzie Cope, who will handle everything up to the offer being accepted. Rosanna Brancazio will then handle trainee development, dealing with prospective trainees before and during law school and looking after seat moves, secondments and qualification.