Appeal to disadvantaged pupils to consider legal careers

Legal work experience coalition PRIME has commissioned talent specialist MyKindaFuture to deliver a series of digital workshops for students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

This initiative, which will take place across the UK this autumn, follows a successful pilot involving PRIME member firms Brodies, DWF, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Pinsent Masons, along with support from Thorntons. 

The sessions will be delivered to students in years 9-11, and S2 - S3 in Scotland, living in some of the UK’s most deprived areas, where a lack of opportunities and awareness of certain sectors, together with very little support, can prevent young people from pursuing certain career options.

The sessions will introduce students to the prospect of a career in law and the variety of roles available to them.

Brodies HR director Kirstie Maclennan, who led the PRIME working group, said: “The hard work that went into the pilot showed what a difference several law firms working together could make and provided a springboard for PRIME to launch this major project with MyKindaFuture”.

MyKindaFuture founder and MD Will Akerman added: “There is so much talent that comes from disadvantaged backgrounds that can only be reached via a targeted approach, which is why we’re so pleased that PRIME has partnered with us to engage with overlooked and hard-to-reach, talented young people, and offer them the opportunities they deserve.”

The partnership between MyKindaFuture and PRIME will continue into 2021 when it plans to host physical workshops in around 23 law firms across the UK.