Law students from lower socio-economic backgrounds will have the chance to work with the government’s principal legal adviser for 10 months as part of a new social mobility initiative to make the profession accessible at an earlier stage.
The Government Legal Department revealed it welcomed this month its first cohort of students on ‘law sandwich placements’. The students will work alongside government lawyers across the department’s specialist areas, including employment and litigation.
During the 10-month placement, students will visit prisons, develop client relationships, work on negligence claims, create bundles, source counsel and draft instructions for barristers.
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Treasury solicitor Susanna McGibbon said: ‘We can only start truly improving diversity of the legal profession when we improve accessibility to the sector early in peoples’ studies.
‘I am proud of GLD and the Government Legal Profession leading the way in offering placements through schemes like this one, providing students with much needed work experience for future applications. Likewise, these schemes encourage students to consider and realise there are opportunities for them not only in government but in the legal sector.’
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