TransPerfect Legal’s Post

Diversity and inclusivity aren’t just corporate buzz words – they’re core tenets of Flex Legal’s work. 💚 We always try to consider how our business operations can be better geared towards improving the legal industry. It’s an interesting challenge, and one that’s led us to make some unconventional business decisions. Thankfully, doing the right thing is also good business – which is why Flex Legal was recently named the fastest-growing female-led company in the UK (yes we’re mentioning it again). Here’s a few more ways we’re trying to make the legal industry better: 👉 Our QWE Journal is entirely free to use: When the SQE was first announced, we loved the @SRA’s vision that it would offer more “non-traditional” aspiring solicitors the chance to qualify. However, we realised that properly documenting the Qualifying Work Experience aspect of the SQE was a significant hurdle. Our brilliant tech team was tasked with building a digital tool to remedy this. They created the QWE Journal – which is SRA-complaint, audit-proof, and was the first tool of its kind to market. We really believe in the SRA’s vision, so we made the QWE Journal entirely free to use, by anyone, at any time. You can find it here: https://lnkd.in/e2XNt_up 👉 We run social-mobility initiatives all year round: Our Flex Trainee scheme gets a lot of press, but is far from our only D&I initiative! Since Flex was founded 7 years ago, our Commercial Development Scheme has seen us welcome 40+ aspiring solicitors into our HQ team, to accrue practical skills that will help them practice law in the future. We also run an annual legal internship with @Diageo, directly exposing the next generation of lawyers to hands-on legal work with a FTSE100 in-house team. On top of that, we run monthly networking events to facilitate junior industry connections, and produce instructional reports for senior industry figures to further increase inclusivity in their teams: https://lnkd.in/e4Km59Um 👉 Flex Apprentice is creating even more opportunities to qualify: There are countless organisations out there with untouched apprenticeship levies. Why not put these to use in helping deserving and diverse legal professionals the chance to qualify? This is the entire premise of Flex Apprentice, which is already offering in-house teams an entirely new way to contribute to organisational D&I and ESG goals. It’s all accomplished using money that otherwise goes unused! You can read more about it here: https://bit.ly/3sGJyeX Of course, there’s always more that we could do. As Flex Legal continues to grow and evolve, we’re determined to find even more ways to improve social mobility across the legal profession. If you want to be a part of that journey, then contact us today: https://lnkd.in/eTB6E58v #flexlegal #diversity #socialmobility #inclusivity

Within the legal sector, recruitment and retention remain one of the top issues facing SMEs. Legal apprenticeships provide an alternative, non-graduate route into the solicitor profession, but quite often they are not a viable option for SMEs, due to the cost. The Spring Budget will be held on March 6th, and hopefully part of this will be used to increase support for the legal sector, such as increasing the funding for apprentice wages and decreasing the burden on legal SMEs of hiring apprentices. “By implementing the changes and policies outlined in our submission, legal services, from the high street legal practice to the global law firm, can help drive innovation and widespread economic growth across all our communities.” - Nick Emmerson, Law Society President https://buff.ly/3SrtiIb #legalrecruitment #legaljobs #lawfirm

E. Kerim Yardimci, Senior Partner at DERIS Intellectual Property Attorneys in Türkiye, gives us some highlights of the firm's sustainability efforts. He says, "For us, sustainability is the execution of our core business with excellence in financial, client, business processes, and especially human perspectives. In order for this understanding to be internalised, we promote lifelong learning opportunities for lawyers at all levels." Emre gives us more detail on the firm's learning and leadership initiatives: "Our "Leadership Awareness Programme" for senior law students covers aspects of business life other than core business. "We run a "Online Summer Internship Programme" for 3rd grade law students. This online programme focuses on all aspects of intellectual property. Lectures are given by senior associates and firm Partners, and the programme closes with a moot court. "Our "Structured Legal Intern Programme" is for legal interns. The programme has its own curriculum and is divided into two parts. In the first six months each intern works with four different supervisors on a rotating basis. Every six weeks they present their progress and achievements to the Senior Partner level. At the second half they are assigned to teams and receive a task as a candidate lawyer. "Finally, we also run "Seminars open to public participation". Deris plans and conducts webinars every year for law students and young lawyers about personal development as well as general IP awareness programmes. Personal development programmes cover feedback in areas such as preparing for interviews and so on." To commemorate this year’s World IP Day theme, of intellectual property and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), FICPI is celebrating with a number of activities based around exploring how IP and IP firms contribute to innovative and creative solutions to help build a sustainable future. Our thanks to Deris for sharing their insights! #WIPD2024 #WIPD #WorldIPDay #Sustainability #WIPD26April2024

On 26 May 2023, the Arbitration and Mediation Act, 2023 was signed into law. This extant provision repeals the Arbitration and conciliation Act (2004). The Act marks a significant milestone in the promotion & development of arbitration and goes a long way in bringing Nigeria’s legal framework for arbitration in conformity with contemporary international arbitration principles and practices. Pursuant to my virtual Internship Program at The Law Suite, the slides below highlights 4 salient novel provisions of the Act. Have a good read #arbitration #newlegislation #internship

The Arbitration and Conciliation Act, Cap A18 LFN 2004, a long-standing legislation, had been governing arbitration proceedings in Nigeria. However, a significant change occurred on May 26, 2023, when the Arbitration and Mediation Act, 2023, was enacted, effectively replacing the Arbitration and Conciliation Act. This change has initiated a groundbreaking transformation in Nigeria's legal landscape, harmonizing and aligning Nigeria’s arbitration regulations with modern international standards. As part of my virtual internship at The Law Suite, the following slides outline four noteworthy and new provisions of the Act and areas that may require amendment. Take a moment and read! #Arbitration #Mediation #Internship #ArbitrationandMediationAct2023

Within the legal sector, recruitment and retention remain one of the top issues facing SMEs. Legal apprenticeships provide an alternative, non-graduate route into the solicitor profession, but quite often they are not a viable option for SMEs, due to the cost. The Spring Budget will be held on March 6th, and hopefully part of this will be used to increase support for the legal sector, such as increasing the funding for apprentice wages and decreasing the burden on legal SMEs of hiring apprentices. “By implementing the changes and policies outlined in our submission, legal services, from the high street legal practice to the global law firm, can help drive innovation and widespread economic growth across all our communities.” - Nick Emmerson, Law Society President https://buff.ly/3SrtiIb #legalrecruitment #legaljobs #lawfirm

We're proud to announce the launch of #DentonsNextTalent – a bespoke network crafted for the next generation of legal experts. Are you a interested in legal career? Dentons.Next Talent is your gateway to a world of opportunities. Whether you are studying through university or looking to start your career with an Apprenticeship, here's what you can look forward to: 🔹 Exclusive Job Alerts: Be the first to hear about openings at Dentons that could kickstart your career. 🔹 Tailored Development: Participate in webinars and workshops designed to hone your skills for the legal landscape of tomorrow. 🔹 Standout: Receive hints, tips and take part in workshops on how to give yourself the best opportunity of being successful in applications and interviews. 🔹 Global Connections: Network with established legal professionals and fellow aspiring solicitors worldwide. Don't miss out on this chance to be part of a community that's shaping the future of law. #DentonsNextTalent is where your journey begins.

Last week Lottie Henville-Miller and Grace Strutton attended Legal EdCon - as expected, another fantastic conference by Legal Cheek. With some common themes throughout the day, here's Lottie's key takeaways: Mental wellbeing 🧠 More mental health support is needed to prevent burnout, especially during the transition to NQ status and exams. On the day the spotlight was on the SRA with both panellists and the audience calling for a change of format to the SQE - in particular SQE1. Embracing tech 👩💻 The everchanging landscape of tech will never take away from the personal element that will always be needed in the legal industry. Speakers encouraged that using AI could mean freeing up time and allow for skills building - e.g. junior lawyers could spend more time on negotiating contracts rather than reviewing them. Championing ethics 🏆 Junior lawyers today are vocal about their ethical beliefs, reflecting a broader generational shift. We need to empower them to have a deep understanding on the ethics on law and what could be expected, but equally shouldn't be asked of them. Bridging the generational gap through open communication is essential. Diversity in qualification ⚖ More people are opting for apprenticeships and the SQE over traditional routes, promoting much needed diversity in the industry. DE&I should be at the forefront of recruiters, hiring managers and L&D professionals' minds. #LegalEdCon

🎓 Every Law student must watch the video 🌟 You will explore how Experts are addressing key challenges faced by Law Interns, from mentorship gaps to the need for extended, practical exposure. This discussion offers valuable insights for students, educators, and legal professionals. Don't miss out—watch the full panel discussion to learn more! Video Credit goes to the Businessworld YouTube channel! #legalinternships #bwlegalworld #lawstudents #professionaldevelopment #legaleducation #mentorship

I recently hosted a discussion at the Enterprise GC event on Social Mobility in the Legal Profession with Sian Skelton, Mandy Kaur and Lisa Ardley-Price about whether GC are doing enough to push the dial. A few key takeaways: 💡 21% of lawyers attended a fee-paying school compared to 7% of the population. Companies and law firms must embrace mentoring schemes, internships, apprenticeships and outreach programmes to reach a wider audience. 💡Hire SQE students. Whilst subject to mixed opinion, the primary goal of the SQE is to open up the opportunity to qualify as a solicitor to a more diverse pool of applicants. The LPC was expensive and came with no guarantee of a training contract. The substantially cheaper SQE enables students to qualify with 2 years of work experience - providing them with more control. If you have an SQE law student in your team, they will need support to balance their studies whilst working. 💡Challenge your perceptual bias and avoid simply recruiting clones of yourself. Do applicants really need to have graduated from a red brick university and qualified at a top tier law firm? As the financial gulf between law firms and in-house widens ever more, it’s so important to look more openly at your candidate pool - valuing the transferable skills and alternative perspectives they bring. 💡Use your purchasing power to collaborate with law firms on your panel to address social mobility in how they staff up their teams. 💡Take advantage of integrated software such as RARE (used already by many law firms) which contextualises the backgrounds of graduates, recognising brilliant performers from disadvantaged backgrounds to level the playing field. Addressing social mobility will advance all other areas of diversity. You have the opportunity to make a material difference to someone by being inclusive. If your company / law firm is not already signed up to the General Counsel for Diversity & Inclusion (GCD&I), a movement to promote DE&I in the legal sector then consider becoming a signatory.