Bond Dickinson wins National Apprenticeship Award for its work with legal apprentices

Bond Dickinson LLP has won the ‘Newcomer Large Employer of the Year’ award at the National Apprenticeship Awards for its ground-breaking efforts in the legal apprenticeship space.

The awards are run by the National Apprenticeship Service and recognise both (i) businesses that grow their own talent with apprentices, and (ii) apprentices who have made a significant contribution to their workplaces.

Bond Dickinson launched its scheme in 2014 – one of the first UK firms to do so – and recently took on its fourth cohort of apprentices. It was also honoured for its apprenticeship work at the 2016 CILEx awards. It offers graduating apprentices paralegal roles, as well as ongoing mentoring and supervisory opportunities. The firm was also named in the ‘Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers’ list, which is compiled annually by the National Apprenticeship Service and sponsored by Centrica.

Sam Lee, head of recruitment at Bond Dickinson LLP, said in relation to winning the Rolls Royce sponsored award: “We took on apprentices because it was the right thing to do; for social mobility, improved staff retention and for the future of our business. But what’s amazed us most is how well the apprentices have performed, they still surprise us every day. Recruiting apprentices as paralegals allows us to attract smart, enthusiastic and engaged people into law – people that never previously would have thought a career in law was for them, or even possible. We’re committed to continuing our apprenticeship scheme and building on it in the years ahead.”