Burges Salmon held its annual Law Information Day for students interested in pursuing a career in law, on Tuesday 9 February 2016.
The event was attended by 55 GCSE and A-Level students from 26 different schools and provided them with an overview on different ways to enter the legal profession, as well as the various career options available to them.
Students were given a brief overview of Burges Salmon with presentations from senior associate Sally Jupp and trainee solicitor Gavin Williams, who shared his experiences of being a trainee at the firm.
Alex O’Driscoll, Widening Participation Officer at the University of Bristol, ran an interactive session on careers and pathways into law, and Natasha Dzameh, Pupil Barrister at St John’s Chambers, helped clarify some of the differences between barristers and solicitors.
The format included interactive group discussions, which proved useful as the students enjoyed meeting other students from different schools. Each group was allocated a trainee solicitor for the day, which the students found of value as they could ask them questions directly and learn from their experiences first hand. The day concluded with a careers advice clinic run by Burges Salmon's HR team where students were able to obtain information on CVs, applications and alternative ways into law.
Overall feedback was excellent, with 87 per cent of students rating the day as highly or very highly, commenting that they found the day: useful, informative, helpful and interesting.
When asked about the impact the day has had on future degree choices, students said:
- “it confirmed my career choice"
- "it has influenced me greatly, giving much valued information""
- "I was unsure whether or not law was for me but I'm now excited to pursue a career in it. Hopefully!"
For the first year, the firm collated diversity data about the attendees. Of the students who attended:
- 69 per cent were female and 31 per cent male,
- 35 per cent were either on free school meals or the first of their generation to aspire to go to university.
- 84 per cent of students attended state school whilst 16 per cent attended independent school.
Catherine Correia, Burges Salmon's corporate responsibility manager, said: "Our Law Information Day forms part of our 'working with schools' programme and we are always delighted to welcome students who are interested in finding out more about what a career in law entails and the various ways into the profession. They were engaged all the way through and, judging by their feedback, made the most of their day."