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Fieldfisher is to double the size of its Belfast office's Graduate Legal Professional programme, following the successful completion of the scheme's first year. Run in partnership with the University of Law, the scheme's expansion underlines Fieldfisher's commitment both to Belfast as a key business centre and its investment in local talent.
The scheme's first programme has recently ended, with all five inductees having now secured full time roles at the firm following their successful completion of the course.
Year two of the scheme will see up to ten law graduates embark on a year-long paid training scheme, with programme attendees working in a broad range of practices across the firm's European network. They will gain invaluable insight into the day to day work that goes on, whilst building the practical skills needed to pursue a career in law. Their work is complemented by a structured academic course administered by the University of Law, focussing on developing the skills needed to complete day-to-day legal work.
The growth of the scheme reflects the broader growth of the firm's Belfast offering as a whole. In the four years since its inception, Fieldfisher's Belfast Hub has grown to a 100-strong team of solicitors, legal professionals and business services colleagues. The strategy enabling this continued growth has focused on investment in people development, through a range of structured training and schemes to offer local talent a vocational career path into the legal sector, in a range of roles.
Lisa Algie, Head of Belfast Operations comments: "Fieldfisher is a law firm built around people and I am very proud that as our Belfast office continues to grow we are focusing heavily in investing in training and providing long term careers for all of our staff.
"We are delighted to be able to develop the Graduate Legal Professional scheme further this year, expanding on the departments involved and the subject matters covered in the training.
"It has been especially exciting to partner with the University of Law to provide a bespoke training programme that will give these law graduates the ability to build their legal skills and knowledge across multiple departments. This really empowers them to understand the areas of law they are passionate about and to be confident in choosing their future career path."
Students from the schemes first cohort commented, "In terms of personal development you're integrated and taken under someone's wing - you wouldn’t get such a commitment in other firms, I think you might be overlooked."
"The learning is very interactive –you're not just sitting there. The actual content is a lot more practical and useful for your day to day role"
Jim Moser, Director of Professional Development at ULaw, said: “We are delighted to be deepening our already excellent relations with Fieldfisher by supporting the growth of their Belfast office to provide high quality training to Fieldfisher’s paralegals based in Belfast. At ULaw, we already have extensive experience in the Belfast legal market and are well placed to support the needs of this fast-growing legal hub”.