Your route into law
Change 100
Run by Leonard Cheshire, Change 100 is a flagship programme of paid summer work placements, professional development and mentoring for talented university students and recent graduates with any disability or long-term condition.
Through Change 100 we offer students summer work placements in our Nottingham and Oxford offices.
Social mobility at Freeths
- 39% of Freeths employees are first in their family to go to university
- 72% of Freeths employees are state school educated
We want to make it easy for anyone who has the passion and talent to enter law to do so with us. We offer loads of alternative routes into the profession such as work experience, apprenticeships and foundation programmes. We work with dozens of universities, educations trusts and schools to inspire young people from different backgrounds to step into law.
“It is important we play our part as individuals and as a business in raising awareness of the opportunities to work in the legal profession, to inspire people from all backgrounds and to make the law accessible.”
Philippa Dempster
Senior Partner, London
Open to all
We are proud to stand apart from the rest of the legal sector, with almost half our staff members attending non-Russell group universities, compared to a third at the top 50 law firms. And almost three-quarters of Freeths employees are state school educated – to us these are both major wins and show we are achieving what we need to make ourselves accessible, friendly and open to everyone.
Into University
This award-winning charity runs local learning centres to provide an education programme for children and young people at risk of failing to meet their potential to go to university due to economic, social, cultural or linguistic disadvantages.
Every year around 125 secondary school students from Oxford and Nottingham attend our workshops aimed at encouraging them into higher education. Our Oxford office also holds open offices so students can find out what working at a law firm is really like.
Freeths Skylark Scholarship
In late 2023 we set up Freeths Skylark Scholarship in memory of Mukesh Patel, former managing partner of Freeths’ Leicester office, for law students at the University of Leicester and De Montfort University.
“The Freeths Skylark Scholarship is a generous package of benefits aimed at supporting law students facing financial challenges throughout their time at university and beyond. From monetary support to mentoring and placement opportunities, the scholarship has been developed to offer recipients a solid first few steps on their way to a successful career in law.”
Steve Corbett
Director of Development at the University of Leicester
We invest in people
- 75% of employees received skills-based training
- 15% supported in continuing education
We believe in doing the right thing for our employees, creating a level playing field and supporting them to have the careers they choose, so they can progress in the ways that fit their lives.
“Believe in yourself. That’s the ethos we want to promote at Freeths. We try hard to showcase role models and inspire people, so they know that they can have the career that works best for them.”
Philippa Dempster
Senior Partner, London
Career progression
Our flagship Emerging Leaders Development Programme, delivered by personal development coaches Compassionate Cultures, helps managing associates develop new skills to prepare them for future leadership roles, developing strengths in areas such as delivering strategy and inspiring and empowering people.
We recently relaunched our firm-wide Mentoring Programme to support inclusive career progression across the firm, and introduced a Reverse Mentoring Programme that aims to help our Board members understand the challenges faced by junior lawyers, and in particular those with different lived experiences.
Careers and opportunities at Freeths
Find out more about the careers and opportunities available at Freeths by heading to our careers page.
Contact us today
Whatever your legal needs, our wide ranging expertise is here to support you and your business, so let’s start your legal journey today and get you in touch with the right lawyer to get you started.
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