Exceptional people come from all social and educational backgrounds, so we’re working hard to ensure law is a career path that’s open to all.

Member of our Global Citizenship team Elizabeth Black explains: “Young people can get the perception that the route to a legal career is only open to a select few and, as a result, there’s a real danger that talented students think a career in law is unattainable and not for them.

“To help ensure that doesn’t happen, for many years we’ve been running initiatives across the Firm to engage with students who would otherwise not have access to such opportunities.”

One example is in London, where we recently launched a week-long residential work experience program, in collaboration with the Social Mobility Foundation, for 17 year olds from across the UK.

The course is designed for young people from lower income families who are the first in their families to consider attending university.

Five students (pictured below) took part in this summer’s program, shadowing lawyers in our Banking, FRI, Disputes, Capital Markets and Corporate teams, touring a court, and presenting lessons learned from the week to EMEA Chief Operation Officer Nick Salmon.

The students also took part in a range of skill development workshops with volunteers from across the London office, covering topics such as CV preparation, presentation and interview skills.

Fellow Global Citizenship team member Sophie Orr explains: “Our volunteering program in London has a strong focus on social mobility initiatives; however, these initiatives, and those of other firms, have historically only served students who live in London.

“Executive Committee member Oliver Brettle was keen for us to include students from across the UK, given that many areas outside London are considered to be ‘social mobility cold spots,’ in other words places of real social exclusion where young people particularly struggle to access meaningful work experience at London-based firms like White & Case.”

“Making law a more accessible career path for all benefits the legal profession and the Firm.”
OLIVER BRETTLE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER

Oliver says: “Making law a more accessible career path for all benefits the legal profession and the Firm.

“Anything that can help ensure young people from all backgrounds get a fair chance and are made aware of the fantastic opportunities a career in law offers is a good thing. If we run programs that can only work for people who can easily travel to London we are cutting out a lot of talent.”

Sophie adds: “We were really taken aback by the enthusiasm and talent of the students who took part in the program.

“As well as hosting them for the week, we’ll also be keeping in touch with their progress and, ultimately, the hope is that one day, we’ll see some of them back here starting a career with the Firm.”

The students were equally impressed, with one saying: “My week at White & Case was fantastic and I learned a lot about life as a lawyer in a global law firm.

“I also developed a range of skills that will be invaluable as I build a legal career. Everyone was really friendly!”

The launch of this new program adds to a list of initiatives the London office runs for students from low-income backgrounds.

For example, for the past seven years, the office has held an annual work experience week as part of the PRIME initiative,hosting up to 25 students from partner schools in Lambeth, South London.

We also host three university students each summer as part of the City Solicitors Horizon program, and offer mentoring throughout their degree.

These programs play an important role in ensuring fair access to the legal profession for young people in the UK.

Across our network

Helping young people from all backgrounds learn key legal skills and get connected with the profession is something we’re passionate about promoting across our network.

For the past nine years, our New York office has run a Street Law Legal Diversity Pipeline Program for the entire junior class (nearly 100 students) at Cristo Rey High School in Harlem.

The program kicks off with more than 20 of our lawyers visiting the school to teach legal concepts.

Following these sessions, the students visit the office to put these lessons into practice with a day of mock trials, negotiations and depositions led by our lawyers.

They also tour the office and get the chance to speak to some of our people about their careers in law and experiences working for the Firm.

Open to debate

Another example is our involvement in urban debate leagues across the United States.

Our Silicon Valley office has been involved with the local Urban Debate League for many years. Partnering with a client, our lawyers have hosted mock debates at the office and judged local debate tournaments. We’re also involved in fundraising for the organization.

This year, led by partner Eric Lancaster, our Silicon Valley office took part in the Silicon Valley Urban Debate League’s Legal Pipeline Challenge, which raised US$11,000.

The funds will be used to help the organization host a debating tournament primarily for children from low-income families. It also provides students with debate coaches and mentors.

This summer, our Washington, DC office held a workshop to help 12 students from a local school prepare for next year’s Washington Urban Debate League topic, asylum.

In Miami, we sponsored the 2018 White & Case City Championships – a debating tournament organized by the Miami-Dade Urban Debate League – which we hosted, providing mentors and judges on the day.

Global Executive Partner for Diversity Raoul Cantero explains: “Taking part in these events helps these students develop the skills they need to successfully graduate high school, go to college, and succeed in life.

“It also provides positive role models and sets the foundation for mentoring relationships.”