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Fieldfisher is proud to announce its partnership with City Century, a CLLS-led collaboration between over 50 City law firms, to significantly increase the number of solicitor apprentices entering the City of London.
European law firm Fieldfisher is proud to mark UK Social Mobility Day 2023 (15 June) by announcing its participation in the City Century initiative, bringing its longstanding experience of apprenticeships to the programme to encourage more solicitor apprentices into City law firms.
The programme, which is led by the City of London Law Society (CLLS) and involves more than 50 City law firms, identifies, attracts, recruits, educates, qualifies, and develops committed solicitor apprentices, offering City firms access to diverse emerging talent for the long-term.
City Century provides all bright and motivated students, no matter their background, with access to an exciting legal career at a City firm, as well as enabling them to earn while they learn and bypass traditional university entry routes.
Sarah Donoghue, Early Careers Manager at Fieldfisher said:
"Fieldfisher has a well-established apprenticeship programme, offering both Solicitor Apprenticeships and wider business services apprenticeship opportunities via our ACE programme.
"As one of the first firms in the City to welcome apprentices in 2017, we have our first cohort of solicitor apprentices qualifying through their six-year programme this year.
"City Century is a great initiative that will encourage more talented people to consider the apprenticeship route to a career in law firms and we look forward to contributing our experience to this programme."
Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education Robert Halfon welcomed City Century, saying:
“Apprenticeships are an essential component of the Government’s skills agenda, extending the ladder of opportunity and helping to grow the economy by boosting the skills pipeline.
"It is fantastic news that these 50 City law firms have committed to increasing the number of London-based solicitor apprentices. Giving more people from all backgrounds the chance to enter this prestigious career without a student debt is a significant step forward in building a skills and apprenticeships nation and I commend their commitment to social mobility.”
Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry praised the strong social mobility opportunity, saying:
“Apprenticeships are key to opening up access to careers for those who may otherwise be held back by financial barriers. Initiatives like these should be commonplace in all professions, but it’s great to see many of the major City Law firms finding new ways to support talented and aspiring young lawyers.”
For UCAS Chief Executive Clare Marchant, City Century is helping shape the future of the legal sector by supporting firms to access the best talent:
“The appeal of apprenticeships is growing rapidly, with almost half of all UCAS users - about 425,000 - now interested in apprenticeship roles.
"At UCAS, we work closely with employers and providers to help them seek out the best future talent, and we are committed to supporting initiatives such as City Century to help students discover this attractive route into a career in law.”
By 2040, City Century envisages that at least 100 new Partners will have been created by the solicitor apprentice route. Visit citycentury.co.uk for more information and regular updates.
