pro-manchester firms collaborate to promote social mobility

On Wednesday [last week] I had the pleasure to host a fantastic collaboration between firms, businesses, chambers and charities across the pro-manchester network to promote social mobility into legal careers amongst Manchester school students. The law sector has not historically been the most inclusive, Bridge Group research has shown that 46% of early career solicitors attend independent schools (compared to just 18% in the general population) but the sector is making a genuine effort to change and innovate. 36% of the top 75 employers in the Social Mobility Employer Index are law firms and the PRIME commitment sees more than 60 law firms and in-house teams collaborating to improve social mobility across the sector. In particular, the willingness to collaborate as a sector to encourage diverse talent is key, we all benefit from a new generation of talented, innovative, and diverse lawyers.

The event last week saw top law firms Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Weightmans, DLA Piper and Browne Jacobson come together along with Kings Chambers and in-house lawyers from BNY Mellon to interact with students. There was also expert support on skills development from charities and social enterprises The Growth Company, EY Foundation and LTSB. 33 students attended, drawn from four schools and colleges across Manchester, chosen because they have higher than the average number of students on Free School Meals or are in a social mobility cold spot.

The event was high-energy and engaging and we received great feedback from the students. 97% said they would now consider a career in law and 100% said they would recommend a similar event to friends.

‘I liked the opportunity to hear so many different aspects of the legal sector and the different avenues to it. I enjoyed the mediation activity because it helped me practise my conflict resolution skills and since my team won, it made me hopeful for a future law career. The hosts and panelists were very eager to give a lot of helpful and inspiring advice – Harpinder was very impactful and so were Andrew and Fabian.’ – Student

‘During this event I really enjoyed the amount of knowledge and opportunities that were offered to me, it made me really think about my future career and along with that I met and interacted with a bunch of lovely people! Food was amazing and the info was so so useful! Gave me a very clear view of the role.’ – Student

I’ve had lots of experience running outreach events, but this was a first for me in terms of the sheer volume of collaboration between different stakeholders. My top tips and learnings from the event were:

 We provided the students with as much information in advance as possible so they felt comfortable on the day, for instance the dress code, what food will be provided, what the activities will be.

 I established myself as a host at the beginning of the day which gave the students a ‘friendly face’ for queries and helped to give consistency.

 We had some amazing volunteers on the day and focused on selecting people that students could relate to. We gave students lots of access to volunteers at the beginning of their career in informal settings which helped to promote organic conversation. We also brought in volunteers in more senior roles, but they did a fantastic job in being very open and transparent about their own backgrounds. During the panels even I was surprised to hear how interesting some of their routes into a law career have been and the challenges they’ve have faced.

 We focused on structuring the day to capture and maintain the student’s interest with a mix of presentations, skills development, and interactive exercises. The students really enjoyed having the opportunity to get involved practically through a mediation game and a leadership exercise.

 As a host and facilitator, I was juggling a lot of moving parts and it was essential for me to delegate some of the content – I had fantastic help from pro-manchester volunteers who I tasked with organising individual sessions independently. This worked really well as, not only did it help to alleviate the pressure on me, it also made for a really varied and nuanced event with a real diversity of ideas.

 At the end of the event, we encouraged the students to reflect on what they had learnt, with one of our volunteers leading a wrap-up session. Not only did this provide useful feedback but was also a beneficial exercise for the students for whom reflecting on their experiences will play a vital role in upcoming university or career application processes.

I came away from the event with a great sense of positivity and feel privileged to have had the opportunity to interact with such inspiring peers across the pro-manchester network and meet a new generation of creative, engaged, and diverse talent.