The next generation
of talent
Our focus is on “growing our own” talent, but we also recognise that we need to add to our existing pool of expertise, and we have made a number of lateral hires during 2023 to provide growth opportunities for the Firm.
We are particularly proud of our six-year Solicitor Apprenticeship programme, which we offer at our London and Guildford offices. Two of our apprentices have now qualified and achieved great results in the newly introduced Solicitors Qualifying Exam.
We are working to bring greater clarity to our promotions process, briefing our Senior Associates on what it takes to become a Partner within the Firm, and we are focused on bringing that openness about our processes to all levels of the business.
Our Career Start Talent Programme provides mentoring, work experience and development opportunities to students from less advantaged backgrounds over a five-year programme. This has been further expanded and we now host insight days for non-selective state schools, social enterprises and charities working with young people. These insight days aim to help young people to learn about careers within the legal profession.
We work with the Social Mobility Business Partnership and other sector initiatives such as “Levelling Up Law” to support improving social mobility in the legal profession.
We are working with Rare Recruitment and use a contextual recruitment tool as part of our early talent recruitment process to ensure that we are able to better understand the context of our candidates’ achievements to recognise potential and identify exceptional talent.
Our partnership with Aspiring Solicitors helps us attract talent from underrepresented groups, widen and retain the pool of talent we recruit and increase diversity within the Firm and the wider legal profession. For example, we provide Aspiring Solicitors Mentors and work with the organisation to provide Placement Scheme preparation sessions for candidates.
We are working with Rare Recruitment and use a contextual recruitment tool as part of our early talent recruitment process to ensure that we are able to better understand the context of our candidates’ achievements to recognise potential and identify exceptional talent.
Our partnership with Aspiring Solicitors helps us attract talent from underrepresented groups, widen and retain the pool of talent we recruit and increase diversity within the Firm and the wider legal profession. For example, we provide Aspiring Solicitors Mentors and work with the organisation to provide Placement Scheme preparation sessions for candidates.
In numbers: Early talent and diversity of the next generation
In 2023, we expanded our Solicitor Apprenticeship programme to the Guildford office, bringing:
We welcomed:
new apprentices in London
new apprentices in Guildford
new trainees to the Firm
in London
in Guildford
in Cheltenham
In 2023, we expanded our Solicitor Apprenticeship programme to the Guildford office, bringing:
We have made some strategic changes to the wider development opportunities available to trainees and apprentices as part of their training contract. For example, Pro Bono work is strongly encouraged and all our trainees and apprentices are expected to get involved with some Responsible Business activity, including Pro Bono. Furthermore, we have revised our CRS Business School Ignite programme to support the trainee and apprentice journey, connecting with them during their induction and enhancing the off-the-job learning element in the first few months of their programmes.
We have made some strategic changes to the wider development opportunities available to trainees and apprentices as part of their training contract. For example, Pro Bono work is strongly encouraged and all our trainees and apprentices are expected to get involved with some Responsible Business activity, including Pro Bono. Furthermore, we have revised our CRS Business School Ignite programme to support the trainee and apprentice journey, connecting with them during their induction and enhancing the off-the-job learning element in the first few months of their programmes.
Promoting diversity of thought
The Charles Russell Speechlys Business School aims to provide everybody at the Firm with personal development in leadership and behaviours—irrespective of their role.
It includes specific development programmes for each career stage, including the Ignite programme, which is designed for trainees to build professional and commercial skills. At a basic level, this might cover time management and at a more senior level, it could be how to develop strategy. We are refreshing our mandatory training modules to ensure they reflect the Firm we are today.
We have formal traditional and reverse mentoring schemes in place, and diversity and inclusion forms part of these initiatives.
During 2023, we ran some ‘Leading Change’ workshops both for internal teams and some of our charity partners, and we are also hosting inclusive recruitment training for every hiring manager in the Firm, refreshing their skills and ensuring that we all make conscious, diverse decisions at the hiring stage.
“These initiatives reflect not just our own needs but the experiences of our clients as well”, says Karen Stages. “It's about diversity of thought and encouraging different perspectives. Not only is it the right thing to do, it’s a commercial imperative.”
Karen Stages
Chief People Officer
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