Finalists announced for ‘The Legal Apprentice’ competition

Ten first year Key Stage 5 students from four schools across the UK have successfully reached the final of ‘The Legal Apprentice’ competition, run by law firm @kingsleynapley. Finalists include @BurnleyCollege and @varndean

Teams from Burnley College in Lancashire, Fort Pitt Grammar School in Kent, Varndean College in Brighton, and Shenley Brook End School in Buckinghamshire are now set to battle it out in a virtual final in September 2020 in the quest to be crowned the Legal Apprentice’s winning team.

Launched last November, the competition saw over 700 teams participate from over 200 schools across the UK, competing against each other in a series of practical law-related tasks designed to test students’ interpersonal, communication and problem-solving skills.

The teams will be mentored before the final by Kingsley Napley lawyers who will help them prepare for the tasks that await.

Students in the winning team will each receive £500 and will be interviewed by Kingsley Napley for the ultimate prize of winning a highly-coveted legal apprenticeship at the firm.

The student in second place will receive a paid internship at Kingsley Napley. The winning team’s school will also receive £5000 to put towards any technical advancement of their choice.

Stephen Parkinson, senior partner at Kingsley Napley, comments:

“This is the second time we have run The Legal Apprentice competition, and once again it has attracted large numbers of students.  We were impressed with the quality of the entries and the diligence shown by all the teams involved but the ten finalists stood out for their creative and imaginative approach to tackling the tasks at hand.”

Kingsley Napley launched the “Legal Apprentice” initiative in 2018 to promote awareness of the legal profession among young students and to encourage more pupils from non-traditional backgrounds,  underrepresented in the profession, to consider a career in law.

“As a firm, we wanted to do something positive to increase social mobility within the legal profession. The Legal Apprentice competition helps to dispel many of the misconceptions pupils might have about a career in the law, demonstrating that it can be accessible, fun and rewarding,” said Stephen Parkinson.