Leading Midlands law firm launches partnership with top UK university to offer placements to next generation of lawyers
A leading Midlands law firm has launched a partnership with a top UK university to offer placements to the next generation of lawyers – the first of its kind for both the firm and the university.
Wright Hassall has become the first law firm to partner with the University of Warwick to offer 12-month placements to students.
The firm has now welcomed graduates Vanisha Patel and Priyam Sharma and third-year students Qaasim Javed and Jaskiran Patel as its first cohort of placements.
Vanisha Patel, aged 21 from London, has been welcomed to the firm’s Private Client team and is already gaining experience in areas including farms and estates, residential property, private wealth and family law.
Priyam Sharma, aged 23 from New Delhi, India, has joined the firm’s Corporate team. She was an Undergraduate Global Excellence Scholar at university and was keen to find a placement which would provide hands-on experience in a supportive environment.
Qaasim, aged 20 from Birmingham, has been welcomed to the firm’s Commercial Litigation department and is looking forward to engaging with complex legal disputes and gaining hands-on exposure to a dynamic area of law that aligns with his analytical and problem-solving skills.
Jaskiran Patel, aged 21 and is originally from Canada before moving to London at the age of 14, has been welcomed to the firm’s Commercial Litigation team and was keen to take part in the placement to develop the legal skills she has learnt during her studies in a hands-on, commercial environment.
Wright Hassall is a full-service law firm which was established in 1846, with lawyers specialising in practice areas including corporate law, compliance and regulatory, commercial, dispute resolution, employment law, property and agriculture, as well as legal services for individuals.
Each individual will be paired with both a mentor and a supervisor during the placement, and will be given the opportunity to experience a number of practice areas throughout the 12 months.
They will also be provided with training and development opportunities, including technical skills courses and training to develop their soft skills.
Mark Shrimpton, Chief People Officer at Wright Hassall, said: “We are extremely pleased to launch this partnership with the University of Warwick.
“While we have had students join us for work experience, this is the first time that we have had 12-month placements.
“Each person will be working in a different practice area and will have a supervisor working with them day-to-day as well as a mentor who will take a more holistic approach.
“We’ll also be providing them with the same well-rounded training opportunities that we offer to our permanent employees.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for us to give something back to our local community and support our next generation of solicitors, and everyone right across the business is pleased to welcome Vanisha, Qaasim, Priyam and Jaskiran.
“While this is our first year, it’s certainly something we would like to continue in the future, and we are now expanding the offer to Coventry University will also be looking to partner with other universities in the longer-term.”
