Capsticks is partnering with the 10,000 Interns Foundation on its flagship programme ‘10,000 Black Interns’ for the second year. The paid internship lasts six weeks. This year the firm is welcoming four interns: Rudo Ushewokunze and Enoch Sakyiama in its Leeds teams, Emmanuel Edwards in its London team and Tumi Mayowa-Peters in its Central Business Services (CBS) team.
Meet the cohort
Rudo is a recent LLM graduate of the University of Law, with her undergraduate LLB from Newcastle University. Enoch is a recent MSc graduate, also of the University of Law with an LLB from Nottingham Trent University. Emmanuel is a final year politics and international relations student at the University of Manchester. The firm’s first-ever cross-team CBS intern, Tumi, is a first-year politics and international relations student from the University of London.
CREATE employee network
Martin Hamilton, managing partner said: “I’m really pleased that we’re partnering again with the 10,000 Interns Foundation – our partnership is important to making Capsticks an ever more diverse and inclusive place to work and improve further our recruitment and retention of global majority candidates and colleagues. I’m looking forward to welcoming Rudo, Enoch, Emmanuel and Tumi for this year’s summer programme.”
Marsha Thompson, partner and CREATE co-chair noted:
“CREATE was established to provide a supportive community to celebrate and raise awareness of cultural and racial diversity at Capsticks, and to work with senior leadership to champion change. Participating in this internship programme means we’re actively helping Black students and graduates take their first steps in accessing a career in the legal sector.”
The importance of EDI
The second cohort of the internship programme follows on the heels of the conclusion of firm’s first ever reciprocal mentoring programme. The reciprocal mentoring programme, designed to address racial equity and inclusion at Capsticks, paired 11 partner mentors with 11 solicitor and business services mentors from ethnically and culturally different backgrounds. Reciprocal mentoring helps move leaders from having an intellectual understanding of EDI, of why EDI is a good thing, to becoming passionate advocates and inclusive leaders.
The mentor pairs met six times over the course of the six month programme, from November 2023 to April 2024. As a result of participating in the programme, all Partners have now identified one tangible commitment to address race equity at Capsticks and work is well underway to deliver on these commitments.
Following the conclusion of the internships, the firm will be welcoming a new cohort of apprentices in September.
The firm also continues its work with the Ahead Partnership, where the focus is on introducing school-aged children to law as a viable and accessible career path and achieve their full potential, regardless of background.
Image: Provided by Capsticks.
