Global law firm announces academy for underrepresented aspiring lawyers

Global law firm Clyde & Co LLP has announced the launch of the Clyde & Co Academy.

Clyde & Co Academy is a brand-new programme designed to give students of underrepresented ethnic, cultural and racial backgrounds the chance to gain:

• new skills;
• connections; and
• the in-depth knowledge to succeed in a career in law.

The programme aims to address the issue of underrepresentation in the legal profession for ethnic minorities and to ensure everyone has an equal chance to succeed at the law firm.

The launch of academy highlights the firm’s commitment to widening access to the profession by helping aspiring lawyers explore, develop and get exposure to the work of a commercial lawyer.

The two-month programme, which will start on 5 October, composes of:

• tailored webinars;
• one-to-one mentoring sessions (with a member of the Clyde & Co team); and
• drop-in sessions, covering topics including networking, applications and diversity in the legal profession.

All drop-in sessions will be coordinated virtually through Clyde & Co’s own ACED (achieving cultural and ethnic diversity) network.

Students who complete the programme will be invited to attend an assessment day in December for one of the firm’s 2022 vacation schemes.

Clyde & Co Partner Mandip Singh Sagoo, a partner champion of the ACED network, comments: “We recognise that individuals from diverse ethnic groups are under-represented in the legal profession and this is a topic close to the heart of the ACED network as well as the firm’s overall D&I strategy. We were very pleased, therefore, to partner with Bright Network to create the Academy to help address this imbalance and attract a wide variety of students. As a firm we are committed to ensuring a diverse talent pipeline and providing opportunities at all levels of the firm.”