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International Edition

Freshfields and Barclays back Aspiring Solicitors career advice initiative

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Hogan Lovells and Barclays bank are among a group of ten private practice and in-house legal teams to sponsor a free academic and careers advice service for future solicitors. Aspiring Solicitors is the creation of former Norton Rose Fulbright corporate associate Chris White, who has now left the firm to work on the initiative full-time.
3 minute read

International Edition

Plus ça change – can Rare's diversity scheme transform the profession?

On the surface a lot can change in the legal world in six months. In the time since I went on maternity leave last summer, SJ Berwin has agreed and gone live with its much-trailed combination with King & Wood Mallesons (KWM), Lawrence Graham has finally found a merger partner in the shape of Wragge & Co, and CMS Cameron McKenna? Well, it hasn't yet managed the US link it has publicly set its sights on, but it has agreed a deal with ailing Scots firm Dundas & Wilson. In many respects though, these developments – with the exception of the KWM merger – seem unlikely to be transformational. Even in KWM's case, the impact it makes will be intrinsically linked to the extent to which the firm can integrate and overcome sizeable cultural differences. Meanwhile, UK mid-market merger activity is increasingly just business as usual for a host of firms scrabbling to improve – or simply maintain – their position in a saturated and highly competitive market.
3 minute read

Legal Week

Plus ça change – can Rare's diversity scheme transform the profession?

On the surface a lot can change in the legal world in six months. In the time since I went on maternity leave last summer, SJ Berwin has agreed and gone live with its much-trailed combination with King & Wood Mallesons (KWM), Lawrence Graham has finally found a merger partner in the shape of Wragge & Co, and CMS Cameron McKenna? Well, it hasn't yet managed the US link it has publicly set its sights on, but it has agreed a deal with ailing Scots firm Dundas & Wilson. In many respects though, these developments – with the exception of the KWM merger – seem unlikely to be transformational. Even in KWM's case, the impact it makes will be intrinsically linked to the extent to which the firm can integrate and overcome sizeable cultural differences. Meanwhile, UK mid-market merger activity is increasingly just business as usual for a host of firms scrabbling to improve – or simply maintain – their position in a saturated and highly competitive market.
6 minute read

International Edition

Top firms broaden recruitment horizons in social mobility drive

Disadvantaged students considering a career in law may be given greater access to the profession as several top law firms have joined a working group with the aim of adopting a 'contextual recruitment' scheme. The system, which is set to be rolled out later this year, could introduce a new element to recruitment across all industries including law, allowing firms to rate candidates against the average performance of their school, potentially widening the pool of recruits considered. Firms including Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Ashurst have teamed up with diversity recruitment and training company Rare to form a working group looking into the new system, which will also allow firms to take into account economic background and personal circumstances, such as whether they are the first generation of their family to go to university, or whether they have spent time in care.
4 minute read

International Edition

Primed for action – how the PRIME scheme is helping to open up the legal profession to poorer students

As someone whose mother is a teaching assistant and whose father is "basically AWOL", Georgia Stores is a good person to ask about what is more likely to stop her becoming a high-flying corporate lawyer: being working class or being female. After a pause to consider her answer, this bright and personable sixth former at the Highbury Grove state school in north London says: "Class is a bigger barrier than being a woman. I think there has been progress on women, but the biggest barrier for someone like me is expectation." Stores is responding to questions after presenting to a group of fellow pupils and a lawyer at DLA Piper's City headquarters – part of a week-long programme of activities organised by the firm for the PRIME diversity initiative.
9 minute read

International Edition

Magic circle breaks into Stonewall list as Freshfields makes top 100

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has become the first magic circle firm to break into the top 100 UK employers for LGB staff, according to the charity Stonewall's annual index.
2 minute read

International Edition

CMS consults on flexi-working to retain talent and boost gender diversity

CMS Cameron McKenna is consulting on how to improve its flexi-working options for fee earners, in a bid to improve its talent retention and career progression for women at the firm. The firm has been hosting roundtable discussions with associates to gather opinions, as well as one-on-one meetings with partners, with findings to be presented to the board early next year. The consultation is being overseen by director of people Jenni Emery, head of international capital markets Daniel Winterfeldt, who is also the firm's diversity and inclusion partner, and strategic projects and inclusiveness manager Jay Wetterau.
2 minute read

International Edition

Female partner promotions fall 40% at Australia's big six firms

The number of female partner promotions at Australia's big six law firms has dropped by almost 40% in the last year despite an industry-wide push to boost gender diversity. Across the national partnerships of King & Wood Mallesons (KWM), Ashurst, Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF), Allens, Clayton Utz and Minter Ellison, just nine women made partner in 2013 out of a total of 35 internal promotions (26%), research by Legal Week has shown. This figure has dipped significantly since 2012, when more than 40% of all partner appointments – 24 out of 58 across the six outfits – were female.
3 minute read

International Edition

Norton Rose associate launches university-level answer to PRIME

A City firm associate has set up an organisation to provide free academic and careers advice to future solicitors, with a particular focus on undergraduates from backgrounds under-represented by the profession. Aspiring Solicitors, which seeks to broaden diversity of the legal profession, is the brainchild of Chris White, who joined Norton Rose Fulbright's corporate department on qualification in 2010.
2 minute read

International Edition

Ashurst rolls out diversity network to boost BME retention

Ashurst has launched a network to help recruit and retain more black and minority ethnic (BME) lawyers and develop new links with clients. The network – called All at Ashurst – is headed by corporate partner Hammad Akhtar in London, with the firm planning to roll it out globally. It was launched last Friday by Trevor Phillips, former head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The network is open to all members of staff and aims to assist the recruitment and retention of BME staff, raise awareness of all faiths, cultures and ethnicity, and develop internal and external connections with clients and the wider community.
2 minute read

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