Reed Smith and the University of Exeter launch ‘legal placement’ law degree

The University of Exeter and international law firm Reed Smith have combined forces to create a new four-year LLB degree that will incorporate a year-long placement at Reed Smith’s London office.

With the aim of the degree to help future lawyers prepare for new technology and online courts, students on the placement will be supported to work on innovation projects at the firm – with a focus on new and improved ways to deliver legal services and the use of data technologies.

University of Exeter Law School professor Sue Prince, who is director or the programme, said:“The aim of this programme is to deliver law training in a different and more innovative way, which meets the requirements of students and the legal industry. This is more than just a placement, it gives students a real opportunity to experience in a world of law firms.”

The degree is now available to existing first-year students on the LLB, with the first formal placement planned to take place in 2020 – 2021. Up to five students initially will be the first to secure the placement and will benefit from a guaranteed training contract assessment while at the firm.

The news comes as firms and universities make plans for the incoming Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) in 2021. Reed Smith has said that this placement will take into account the way solicitors will be trained under the SQE.