DWF welcomes five newly qualified solicitors to its Manchester office

DWF, the global provider of integrated legal and business services, has appointed five newly qualified solicitors in its Manchester office.

 After completing their training contracts, five newly qualified solicitors have joined DWF’s Spinningfields office in Manchester to bolster the corporate services, dispute resolution and real estate teams.

Alice Gilman, Paulina Bodzak and Raili Haslam have joined the corporate services team, Lauren Parkinson joins the dispute resolution team and Aquiel Brittain-Dissont joins the real estate team.

Meanwhile, four new trainees have just joined in Manchester to begin their two year training contracts, with another four trainees due to arrive in November.

Commenting on the appointments, Kirsty Rogers, office managing partner in Manchester, said: “We are thrilled to officially welcome these six talented individuals to our Manchester office as newly qualified solicitors.

“We are committed to investing in the next generation of legal talent and I look forward to supporting our newly qualified solicitors and our new trainees as they embark on the next stage of their careers.”

In the spirit of nurturing young talent and early careers, DWF will launch the next programme as part of its community education initiative, ‘5 STAR Futures’, later this month in partnership with All Hallows in Salford.

The programme, ran by newly qualified solicitor, Raili Haslam with the help of legal counsel, Zena Al-Kassab, aims to empower ambitious young students to unlock their potential by developing the skills and confidence required to succeed in the workplace through a variety of workshops.

Kirsty Rogers said: “The Manchester office is home to the longest running 5 STAR Futures programme at DWF. We have partnered with All Hallows since the programme was piloted in 2012-2013 and we are incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made together.

“Raili consistently excels in her role overseeing the programme each year, and having been with the business for eight years, she already demonstrates strong dedication to DWF’s ESG and sustainability strategy.”

“5 STAR Futures does not only provide personal development opportunities for the students, but is also rewarding for our colleagues. Every year when the pupils visit, our colleagues enjoy the chance to create aspiration, help develop the pupils’ confidence and knowledge of the working world and in turn build a more inclusive workforce for the future.”