Bar Council and SMF team-up to offer placement scheme
16 July 2007
The Bar Council is joining forces with the Social Mobility Foundation to offer a placement scheme for 27 students from disadvantaged backgrounds later this month.
The students, who will visit sets of chambers in the week beginning 16 July 2007, will be given the chance to gain first hand experience of barristers at work.
The placement week will include an introduction to the Inns, time in chambers shadowing an experienced barrister, and a day observing a trial in a busy Crown Court with an opportunity to speak to the Resident Judge.
The week will culminate in a reception for the students, at which Bar Chairman and SMF trustee Geoffrey Vos QC, will award a prize for the most interesting and entertaining account of the week.
Geoffrey Vos QC said:
“We are delighted to be working with the SMF to allow these students an insight into life at the Bar.
“As Lord Neuberger and his Working Party continue to develop proposals for improving access and removing barriers to entry to the Bar, it is a perfect time for the Bar Council to support this initiative. It is vital to the profession’s future that anyone with the requisite ability can have access to the Bar, regardless of their background.”
Chief Executive of the SMF Linkson Jack added:
“Partnering agreements such as between the Social Mobility Foundation and Bar Council are essential in order to make social mobility a reality rather than mere rhetoric.
“We pride ourselves in our ability to put bright young people in touch with world class employers. In the past, the Bar may have had a reputation as being inaccessible to talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Initiatives such as this prove that is no longer the case at the Bar. This is how it should be in every field of employment.”
Meanwhile, at the Bar Council's request, Jaguar UK has agreed to support the Social Mobility Foundation. This forms part of an arrangement with Jaguar UK, which will kick off at the Bar Council's annual Garden Party on 4 July 2007.
