Penningtons supports summer school diversity programme

Penningtons Solicitors LLP has taken an active role in a summer schools initiative designed to encourage students from a range of backgrounds to pursue a career in law.

The firm sponsors the City Solicitors' Educational Trust (CSET) which is focused at undergraduates at the non-Russell Group universities who may not have the same access to careers advice and opportunities as students from the 'traditional' top universities. CSET was founded in 1989 and has enabled grants totalling more than £8 million to be made to more than 60 institutions. It has just completed two five day summer schools, welcoming 200 students from 44 UK universities and giving them an insight into life as a lawyer in London.

The summer schools took place at Imperial College, London, and concluded with a graduation dinner at the Law Society. They were featured last week in articles in both The Times and The Lawyer magazine. As part of the programme, which encompassed group and individual structured sessions and training workshops, the students heard a range of speakers, including representatives from the Government Legal Service, the Crown Prosecution Service and the FSA. Margaret Mountford from the BBC's 'The Apprentice' was also a guest speaker.

Penningtons was actively involved in the initiative, offering teaching assistance for the various skills sessions and sending representatives to the evening social networking events as well as giving the students the opportunity to visit the firm's London office and talk to its graduate recruitment team and trainees.

Andrea Law, who heads the learning and development team at Penningtons, comments: "We are delighted to have had such a hands-on involvement in the summer schools. They have helped to develop students who might otherwise have believed that they didn't have the right skill set for a legal career. The feedback from them has been hugely positive."