Gordons’ ground-breaking legal apprenticeship scheme is celebrating its first graduate following 23-year-old Bryony Russell’s qualification as a chartered legal executive employment lawyer.
Gordons launched its innovative legal apprenticeship programme just over five years ago. It was the first of its kind in the legal sector when it was introduced as Gordons apprentices train as chartered legal executive lawyers to the maximum Level 6, which is an honours degree equivalent, rather than the Level 3 offered by most similar schemes.
The programme has since become a multiple award-winner and led to the firm being described as “leading the way on social mobility in the legal profession” by the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission chair, Alan Milburn.
Reacting to her achievement, Russell said: “It has been an amazing five years. I’ve been provided with on-the-job training from day one and given a fantastic opportunity to establish a legal career. I’m delighted to be the programme’s first graduate.”
Since starting their scheme, the firm has taken on 17 apprentices. The programme involves 18-year-old school leavers training as chartered legal executive lawyers over five years through practical experience and academic study. Gordons pays their salaries and course fees, meaning they have no student debt.
Gordons managing partner, Paul Ayre, said: “We’re proud of our apprenticeship programme and its momentous first graduation. We were the first law firm to introduce an apprenticeship scheme of this type and many in our sector have followed.
“We did it because we want our firm to be full of talented people with a great attitude. We don’t care where they start out in life or what school they went to. We wanted to find bright young people who work hard and that is exactly what we found with Bryony. She’s been excellent throughout her apprenticeship and, now that she is qualified, Bryony’s career progression at Gordons is potentially unlimited.”
Last year a nationwide survey by careers advice company AllAboutSchoolLeavers.co.uk, placed Gordons in the UK’s top 30 higher apprenticeship employers and in the top 100 employers for school and college leavers for 2016-17. No other law firm was in the top 30 higher apprenticeship employers, a list which included the likes of Barclays, National Grid, J.P. Morgan, Bentley Motors, PwC, BBC, Sky and IBM.
