Browne Jacobson extends social mobility mentoring scheme with Manchester Metropolitan University
updated on 19 December 2017
Manchester-based firm Browne Jacobson has extended its mentoring scheme with Manchester Metropolitan University’s law school, which aims to improve access to careers in the legal profession for students from less-privileged backgrounds.
The scheme aims to prepare students who don’t have the advantages of private education, family wealth and access to privileged networks for careers in law through dedicated mentoring provided by the firm’s lawyers and HR team. Mentees benefit from help and advice at the key stages of the process, such as when applying for a vacation scheme and/or training contract. The scheme also provides CV and assessment centre workshops, as well as guest lectures for core modules on topics such as resilience to help develop key employability skills.
The initiative has been very successful since launching in 2015 and was highly commended at last year’s Manchester Legal awards and shortlisted in the 2017 ENEI and UK Social Mobility Awards. News that Browne Jacobson will continue to provide support to Manchester Met students is certainly to be welcomed.
Nichola Evans, partner at Browne Jacobson and the driving force behind the establishment of the scheme, commented: “Social mobility in the legal profession has changed little in over 30 years and Browne Jacobson is strongly committed to addressing this issue. The feedback from the last two schemes has been very positive, and we are already starting to see the impact the initiative is having in widening access and opportunities in the legal profession. We are pleased that we can continue to offer this scheme and look forward to working with Manchester Metropolitan University to build on our success as we continue to champion social mobility.”
Catherine Little, head of Manchester Metropolitan’s law school, said: “The support and commitment from Browne Jacobson has been invaluable in bridging the social and cultural gap that can be a barrier for some of our students. The robust scheme has been extremely well received and will no doubt impact our students’ lives as they progress in their career.”
