Macfarlanes teams up with Brunel Law School to launch scholarship ‘equivalent to the award of a training contract’
Uni fees covered plus paid work experience and placement year
City law firm Macfarlanes has announced the launch of a new training scholarship in partnership with Brunel University.
The scholarship, which aims to breakdown any socio-economic barriers that discourage talented students from joining the legal profession, will cover the full cost of university tuition fees, alongside paid work experience and a paid placement year at the firm.
In addition to all this, successful scholars are “highly likely” to become trainees, with the firm explaining that the scholarship should be considered as “equivalent to the award of a training contract”. Trainee numbers are being expanded to accommodate the scholars so there will be no impact on other applicants.
The tie-up will see the firm support three Brunel law students annually.
Senior partner, Sebastian Prichard Jones said:
“In common with many organisations, we have been thinking carefully about how best to attract a much broader range of talented students and this targeted programme is one of the concrete steps we have taken. The aim of our programme with Brunel is that through financial support, mentoring and paid work experience at the firm, our scholars will be supported from their first year all the way through to becoming qualified solicitors at the firm, and our partners of the future.”
Macfarlanes also offers financial support to socially-mobile undergraduates studying any subject at university in the UK. Its bursary scheme includes three grants covering access to technology, funding for the costs of missing work when attending a Macfarlanes event, and paying for accommodation whilst undergoing work experience with the firm.
For all the latest commercial awareness info, news and careers advice:
Sign up to the Legal Cheek Newsletter
20 Comments
TC hunter
Why Brunel? What’s the connection? Seems a bit random.
Anon
What have you got against Brunel? They’re a good uni, isn’t that enough?
TC Hunter
I’d just be interested to know why Brunel? Why not let students from all unis apply?
Anon
Again, why the vendetta against a good uni? Elitism. I bet if it’s Oxbridge this wouldn’t be a question.
sceptical
Brunel offers placement years for law students which is quite unique which could be their rational.
Still does not make sense why Brunel, perhaps the Brunel is giving Macfarlanes some kind of incentive to set up this scheme?
Anon
Incentive is a pipeline of talented overlooked students. Who wouldn’t want that?!
Evidence based
Any evidence for this pipeline? Seriously, I’d love to see the data you relied on to back up what you said.
Anon
Evidence: my eyes and ears. It’s a great uni and therefore produces great grads. What don’t you understand?
TC Gatherer
I was thinking the same as TC Hunter. Never met anyone who went there, never came across it when considering universities. Presumed it was a safety school for those whose first choices were mainstream safety schools, but looked at the rankings for law and it was 84th, so probably a safety school for those whose first choices were the safety schools for the mainstream safety schools
Anon
Well if an anonymous poster using anecdotal evidence says so, then it must be true!
For the record it’s a great Uni. And has lots of students.
This forum is full of elitists. You have to have gone to Oxbridge, have a tc at an MC firm (or US, yuk) to be accepted.
Tabs
So looking at the law rankings is “anecdotal”? While some aspects of the rankings are questionable, being 84th is a sign that the institution would not naturally fall within the description “great”.
Anon
To be clear, given your reading comprehension skill is obviously very poor, the anecdotal part is:
“I was thinking the same as TC Hunter. Never met anyone who went there, never came across it when considering universities.”
We all know rankings mean nothing, and are highly subjective.
Unless you’re an alumni I’d suggest you sit this one out.
Amo Amas
The singular is alumnus. Might explain why you are defending Brunel.
T.
Please.
I also graduated from Brunel but it is hardly a great university. Incidentally I went there when it was much higher in rankings and even then it was not exactly a top tier university.
I wish all the students there well but let’s be clear, they are not attending Oxbridge for a reason.
The truth is that Brunel is an okay-ish university however it is going to be tougher for someone to bag that City TC if they have Brunel on their CV. It was certainly a case for me and some other alumni that most of us ended up doing Masters at more prestigious RG unis before being offered a TC. And comparing the experiences, RG has better students – out of my Brunel undergrad cohort, there are not many of us in top City / regional jobs.
Overall though, I am glad that Brunel is partnering with Macfarlanes and it is a step in the right direction.
Anon
Ignoring the troll above, to T., I’m sorry you had a bad experience. Not everyone does, far from it. You offer anecdotal evidence, and I shall too. I know many highly successful Brunel grads – I’m talking CEOs, senior lawyers, accountants and the like.
Amat Amamus
Anon 8.45am, it is far from trolling. If one cannot use proper singulars and plurals one cannot expect access to the upper echelons of the profession. Such markers are real flags of ignorance and only seem minor to those who miss the point.
Anon
Fine, I will feed the troll. You know literally nothing of me and my career yet you presume to tell me that I am a failure based on a post above. For the record I enjoy a highly successful career and don’t need your validation to support that belief. Please take your trolling elsewhere.
Do your due diligence
A quick search on LinkedIn would show you there’s an Associate and Trainee at Macfarlanes that both graduated from Brunel hence the ‘connection’.
Can’t be bothered going to Google
Where is Brunel? Is it in Birmingham?
suomynona
Do some of you in the comments know how to read??? The article outlines that the aim of the partnership is ‘to breakdown any socio-economic barriers that discourage talented students from joining the legal profession’.
Some of you have pointed out Brunel is not the greatest and how being from that university has proved a challenge to gain a training contract. If you put 2 and 2 together you will understand that the purpose if this is to combat the issues faced by students and provide them with an opportunity not only to develop their skills but to get their foot in the door.
Going to a redbrick university can be discouraging for some as they may feel as if there is not a seat at the table for them. This partnership is acting to dispel the myths and prove a career in the law is for all. Haven’t you guys seen the news and the active steps firms are taking to improve diversity in the legal sector????
Comments are closed.