Supports 30 less advantaged students
Slaughter and May has created a new sizeable scholarship programme that will see the magic circle player help fund 30 less advantaged aspiring lawyers through university.
The firm has committed to financially supporting three cohorts of ten “high-potential candidates” for three years of university study, through a bursary of £3,000 per student per year. Successful scholars will also receive “tailored leadership development opportunities and training”.
The programme, run in partnership with social mobility charity upReach, represents an investment of £270,000 over five years, according to the firm.
Jane Edwarde, real estate and D&I partner at Slaughter and May, commented:
“The launch of the scholarship scheme is significant, because even with the support currently in place to fund tuition fees, there are still many financial barriers. The National Union of Students found that 40% of full time higher education students had considered leaving their course, with half of those who considered leaving citing financial reasons During the pandemic we have seen students from less advantaged backgrounds being hardest hit, and so we hope this scheme will help bolster promising young lawyers at a difficult time.”
News of the scholarships come just days after fellow magic circle player Linklaters launched a programme that will see it provide disadvantaged and racially diverse school leavers with career support, including mentoring, work shadowing and CV advice, as well as the opportunity to be fast-tracked onto the firm’s scholarship programme.
Earlier this year, Freshfields launched a similar mentoring scheme which sees sixth-form students from lower socio-economic and racially diverse backgrounds take part in work experience and skills sessions led by the firm’s employees.