#AGR14 Improving access to the professions - Clifford Chance and Allen & Overy

© Allen & Overy 2014 1

Improving access to the professionsAn insight into how the legal sector is leading the way with social mobility

Laura Yeates Graduate Recruitment & Development Manager

Sarah CockburnSenior Graduate Recruitment Manager

School

School

© Allen & Overy 2014

School

School

7% 25%

25%38%


School

School

23%

37%


Is the legal sector leading the way in Social Mobility?

2012:

“Lack of social mobility in our society is not a problem that can be solved by one organisation or sector…[but] we need to take a collective responsibility and work together to find meaningful solutions. The legal profession is a great example.” Right Honourable Alan Milburn, Chair of the UK Task Force on Social Mobility

School

School


Shortlisted:

2013: 2014:

School

School


Our session today

1) CASE STUDIES–School - how the legal sector looks to raise aspirations–University – how we look to recruit those from less privileged backgrounds

2) KEY LEARNINGS

3) Q&A

School


And how are the legal sector delivering this?

Recruitment

(Delivering on improved access to the profession)

• PRIME – 80 law firms

• Work experience programmes: E.g Smart Start – Allen & Overy and ‘Get In Get On’ – Norton Rose Fulbright

• Mentoring programmes: BEE Programme – Shearman and Sterling and ‘Mentoring Works’ - Linklaters

• Partnerships: Eg. Pathways to Law, Pure Potential

• DISCUSS programme – a new approach to recruiting

• Intelligent Aid – Clifford Chance’s ‘no barriers’ competition

• Broadening our reach – how we ‘target’ beyond our resources

• Challenging the traditional – trying new recruitment methods

School University

Raising Aspirations

School

School


Case Study 1: PRIME

School

Who: An alliance of 80 law firms and legal departments across the UK who have made a commitment to broaden access to the legal profession.

What: Each firm commits to:

1)Offering a number of work experience places that is not less than 50% of the number of training contract places that we offer each year. Our headline target for the wider profession is 2,500 places by 2015.

2)Provide at least 30-35 hours of contact time per student

Partnership with clients has been central to success e.g. Baker & McKenzie and Google and Hogan Lovells & Vodafone

More info: http://www.primecommitment.org

School

School


Case Study 2: Smart Start

Who: Allen & Overy

What: In its sixth year Smart Start has offered the below to over 600 17 year olds from disadvantaged backgrounds.

1)Work experience

2)Mentoring

3)Bursaries

Results: –We are seeing the impact in graduate recruitment–In 2013, 90% said they felt more confident/ambitious, 89% felt they’d developed skills need for a career in the City–Partnership with clients has been central to success, in 2013, the delivery of Smart Start was supported by 9 different clients. Some offered work placements for participants themselves.More info: http://www.allenovery.com/corporate-responsibility/probono-community/education/Pages/smart-start.aspx

SchoolSchool

School


Case Study 3: Pathways to Law

Who: over 30 law firms, including Allen and Overy, Clifford Chance, DLA Piper, Eversheds, Hogan Lovells, Linklaters and Mayer Brown.

What: A full and varied programme of lectures, seminars, advice and guidance sessions, skills development workshops and interaction with undergraduate students and professionals through e-mentoring and a legal work placement. Targeted at 17 and 18 year olds.

Results: –Over 2000 students have benefitted since it was established in 2006 and another 1200 students will take part in the next four years.–Pathways to Medicine and Pathways to Property now established–42% of Pathways to Law participants from the first three cohorts were admitted to one of the twenty leading law universities, compared with 34% of a comparison group of similar students and 47% were accepted at a Russell Group or 1994 Group university.More info: https://www.pathwaystolaw.org.uk

School

School


Case Study 4

University

School


Case study 5

University

School


Case Study 6

University

School


Case Study 7

University

School


“But, I’m unable to do any of this in my organisation…”

School

School


Our key learnings

OWN IT

TRY IT

Put the INFRASTRUCTURE in place to succeed

School

School


Questions?

School

School

#AGR14 Improving access to the professions - Clifford Chance and Allen & Overy

Recruiting & HR

Transcript of #AGR14 Improving access to the professions - Clifford Chance and Allen & Overy