Employers share their experiences of working with our placement students as part of the Law in Practice degree.
"We have a strong and long-standing relationship with QMUL through our involvement in the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre and a number of the student advisors we have worked with have subsequently joined us as paralegals or trainees. We were therefore very excited to be part of The Law in Practice Placement Program.
The legal profession is a wide ranging one with many diverse areas of specialisms, each requiring unique skills and aptitudes. It is therefore very important that students get opportunities in different areas of law to inform their career decisions. As a niche family law practice, we are delighted to offer students an opportunity to learn first-hand about our area of law. Family law, probably more than any other area, impacts individuals and families across every level of our society. The nature of our work allows our interns a unique opportunity to see how the law they have studied is applied in real life to find solutions for our clients and to be part of an intimate team striving to make a positive difference to people going through what is often one of the hardest times in their lives." - Simon Lim, Bross Bennett
“At BCLP, we’re a big believer in offering students opportunities to build their skills in practice, and to explore their career options. For that reason, we have been delighted to have Queen Mary undergraduate students at the firm for a number of years now, offering them a “year in industry” as part of their Law in Practice degree. Not only does the year with us help them to build practical workplace skills, but it also lets them find out which areas of law might be of interest to them. What does a Real Estate lawyer do? What does it feel like to be part of a client-facing team in our Finance practice? Many students have told us how building the workplace experience onto their university studies helps them clarify their career thinking, and builds their confidence too – and we’re delighted that so many of the placement students have then joined the firm as trainee solicitors!” - Chloe Muir, Head of Emerging Talent, BCLP
“It’s great to see the students learning to apply their legal knowledge to the challenges which our clients bring to us – working in my practice innovation team and with lawyers across the whole firm to rethink how we deliver our legal services, and the tools we can employ. On a daily basis the students might be doing many different tasks: ranging from experimenting with new technology tools the firm might use in a “sandbox” environment, to discussing with our lawyers the current challenges they face in delivering what their clients need. Students have fed back that they find it very interesting to see the new tools which future practitioners might use, how the approach to work in a big law firm is changing, and also the opportunities they have had to learn new skills, ranging from the skill of asking great questions and being curious, to coding!” - Catherine Goodman, Lead Practice Innovation & Knowledge Counsel, Paul Hastings (Europe) LLP
"For the last six years, we have had the pleasure of working with Queen Mary University of London on the Law in Practice Placement Program. This has been an incredible experience and opportunity for us to meet the next generation of talented lawyers. Many of the Queen Mary students on this program managed to secure training contracts and are now associates at the firm over five years later. This partnership is an invaluable relationship and one that we look forward to continuing for many years to come!" - Will Buckley, Graduate Recruitment and Development Officer, Reed Smith