Ellie Hecht’s campaign could see Bar and smaller firms follow lead of corporate law
Essex Court Chambers has agreed to pay interview travel costs as part of a campaign to help under 25s, sparking hope that more chambers and smaller law firms will follow.
It’s standard for corporate law firms to cover travel costs to interviews, assessment centres and open days, even picking up the tab for hotels when students travel from afar. Some go even further. The London office of elite US firm Paul Weiss made headlines last year when it pledged to buy work experience students business attire and put them up in executive accommodation as part of its summer vacation scheme.
But such arrangements are much less common at the Bar and among smaller law firms.
Ellie Hecht, founder of chambers recruitment firm InnLegal, is hoping to change this through her campaign to get employers to pay interview travel costs for under 25s. She commented:
With unemployment at an 11-year high, train fares shouldn’t be another barrier preventing job-seekers getting a job or even an interview. It’s been incredible hearing people’s stories, from those who’ve experienced homelessness to others now working in law after being helped by charities. I recently gave a candidate money from my own pocket for the train. They were brilliant, but they almost missed their shot because of a tenner.
Hecht added: “For every five candidates who interview, only one gets the job. The rest are straight back out there, interviewing again — three, four, five times, sometimes paying over £20 for each trip. It adds up. And for some, it’s the difference between opportunity and exclusion. So, I decided to do something about it.”
The backing of Magic Circle set Essex Court Chambers marks a significant win for Hecht’s campaign as they pledge to “remove a barrier that can prevent young people from pursuing career opportunities”. Senior clerk Joe Ferrigno has called on others to follow, stating: “We would welcome seeing this kind of support adopted more widely.”