A leading Midlands law firm has signed a partnership which will allow employees from all parts of the firm to train and qualify as solicitors.
Wright Hassall has signed up to the new Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) scheme which allows people who hold degrees to train to become lawyers.
It has signed an agreement with The College of Legal Practice which will deliver the two-year programme through supported and flexible learning.
The College’s preparation courses for the SQE are designed to be taken flexibly and to appeal to those already working in the legal profession.
The learning replicates practice through individual supervision offered to every student, with Wright Hassall aiming to put two staff members onto the programme.
Lindsay Barnett, Wright Hassall’s HR Director, commented: “The firm has always believed in developing its own talent and wants to extend this opportunity to any employee with a degree – whether they originally wanted to become a solicitor or had other ambitions.
“We were extremely impressed by way that The College of Legal Practice has introduced flexibility and accessibility into the learning design for their SQE Prep Courses.
“The value and quality of their proposition stands out as does their collaborative approach. Both organisations believe in individual, personalised learning to genuinely support professional development.”
Dr Giles Proctor, CEO of the College, said: “I’m delighted that we are partnering with Wright Hassall to provide SQE preparation courses to their trainees.
“They are clearly a firm with strong social values and commitment to their employees’ learning and development.
“We are collaborating closely to ensure that the trainees are fully supported throughout their SQE journeys and given every opportunity to succeed.”
PIC: Lindsay Barnett