Reed Smith and Queen Mary launch combined law degree and one-year work placement

Reed Smith and Queen Mary, University of London have launched a 'law degree and apprenticeship' qualification, which combines a LLB with a year-long placement at Reed Smith.

The degree has first been made available to existing Queen Mary LLB students this January, with the first five placements set to take place in 2016-17. The placements should be expanded in number to 10 in 2017-18, and new students joining Queen Mary to study law will be able to apply for one of the places at the end of their first year. Students will be then have to complete an eligibility assessment at the end of their first year, followed by special skills modules in the second year prior to the placement.

Professor Valsamis Mitsilegas, head of Queen Mary’s law department, commented: "We are very excited to collaborate with Reed Smith on this innovative new programme. It supports and reaffirms our commitment to deliver real-world, practical experience, alongside traditional educational approaches and academic excellence that students expect from one of the United Kingdom’s leading law schools. The new degree provides our students with an opportunity available at no other Russell Group university."

Lucy Crittenden, Reed Smith’s graduate recruitment manager, said: "Although the work placement model exists in more technical degrees, there has never been a law degree at a Russell Group university with a practice-based emphasis. We work with a number of different universities to support greater employability skills for students and our new degree with Queen Mary creates a blueprint to assist ‘UK plc’ in the development of commercial and ‘business-ready’ students."