Osborne Clarke is pleased to be one of six founding member firms of the #CityCentury solicitor apprentice initiative, which officially launches on Social Mobility Awareness Day.
City Century is a City of London Law Society (CLLS)-led collaboration between six founding member firms and over 50 City law firms aiming to significantly increase the number of solicitor apprentices entering the City of London.
#CityCentury is a career-creation collaboration that allows talented candidates to qualify as solicitors through the solicitor apprentice route, studying alongside working as a credible alternative to the traditional full-time university route.
This allows a wider pool of aspiring lawyers to access great City legal careers, gaining invaluable working insights from within their employers as they obtain their legal qualifications.
Candidates will earn a law degree and both parts of the Solicitors Qualification Exam, becoming solicitors after six years of work and study. Osborne Clarke has employed solicitor apprentices within the City of London for the last year, and looks forward to collaborating with other employers to grow this qualification route. The firm has had a successful programme in Bristol for the last five years, and will be launching apprentices in Reading this September.
"The key is in understanding apprentices are a long-term investment, and when executed well, can really unlock a hidden pool of talent for many years to come."
Olivia Sinfield, Partner at Osborne Clarke, said: "I'm consistently impressed with the high-calibre talent of our solicitor apprentices each year. Many firms are catching on to the benefits that include training young talent, widening access to the legal profession and helping to diversify the people and mindsets in law firms. The key is in understanding apprentices are a long-term investment, and when executed well, can really unlock a hidden pool of talent for many years to come.
"We're proud to be part of City Century, which brings together forward-thinking and ambitious firms who want to disrupt hierarchical attitudes and traditional training models to embrace a wider pool of talent in the legal sector. We’re confident that this career-creating collaboration will deliver significant good in the City legal sector."
The project has endorsement from Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education Robert Halfon, Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry and UCAS Chief Executive Clare Marchant. City Century is helping shape the future of the legal sector by supporting firms to access the best talent.
By Autumn 2024, the majority of City Century’s registered firms will have enrolled their first cohort of solicitor apprentices – and the numbers qualifying as solicitors through this path will then double year-on-year. By 2040, City Century envisages that at least 100 new Partners will have been created via the solicitor apprentice route.
Visit citycentury.co.uk for more information and regular updates.
Osborne Clarke has a long history of supporting social diversity. The firm has worked and formed partnerships with a variety of social mobility organisations including, The 93% Club, the Social Mobility Business Partnership and Visionpath. These relationships have enabled it to actively encourage those from less advantaged backgrounds to consider a career in the legal profession and to equip them with the skills to take the next step. In 2022, the firm ranked 26th of the 75-top ranking Social Mobility Employers, and has an active employee network that champions social mobility across its firm, with clients and in its communities.
Corporate communications and press contacts
Connect with one of our experts
