News - News - Lift Off for Legal Launch Pad

DLA Piper's Global Head of HR Robert Halton and BLD founder and managing director Debo Nwauzu welcomed students to the official launch of the Legal Launch Pad (LLP) programme at DLA Piper's London office on 31 January 2008. Robert advised the students to use the immense opportunity provided by the programme to ask themselves whether the legal profession is for them, if that answer is yes, to ask how they wanted to get there and what they need to get there. He advised that they need passion, enthusiasm and the ability to build relationships with clients.

During the networking drinks reception students got to meet many of the mentors from DLA Piper, Barclays Group, Lovells, Shoosmiths and Olswang. The students said that the event had met and exceeded their expectations and they are enthusiastically looking forward to the rest of the programme, particularly the work placements. Throughout the successful induction day the students heard speakers on numerous topics, including the life of an associate solicitor, a barrister, the role of lawyers and the importance of career planning.

Future training sessions, starting next month, will include workshops on mock interviews, presentational skills and commercial awareness and the programme culminates with at least one week's work placement at DLA Piper, Barclays, Lovells, Shoosmiths or Olswang. The Canary Wharf headquarters of Barclays will host a Passing Out Ceremony on 4 September 2008.

LLP is primarily targeted at ethnic minorities in their first year at university (law students) and in their second year at university (non-law students) but is open to all undergraduates and graduates interested in pursuing a legal career. The programme comes under the umbrella of BLD’s Legal Gateway scheme.

Also launched was the Legal Gateway's other programme, Today's Children, Tomorrow's Lawyers (TCTL), which is aimed at 13 to 17-year-olds. Debo said of TCTL: "The aim of this programme is to target young participants, arm them with information, raise their expectations, support their aspirations and make these aspirations a reality." Schools in Birmingham, Leeds, London and Manchester have been short-listed to take part in the programme because they have a high number of ethnic minority students and are located in areas with a high level of deprivation.