Thompsons Solicitors has joined forces with the University of Sheffield to support its ‘Discover Law’ programme.

Discover Law is a two-year programme available to A-Level students from communities that are underrepresented in Higher Education. It is designed to support and inform them about university life and what studying and working in law is like.

Students eligible to apply for the programme include those who are from lower socio-economic groups, young adult carers, students with a disability or those who are the first generation of their family to enter into Higher Education.

Thompsons will be supporting the programme by inviting students into its Sheffield office to experience a working legal environment and to meet staff who have a range of different responsibilities in the firm.

Four students have already been welcomed into the firm for a two-day induction where they learned more about office life and the practical tasks required to make it run efficiently, and they shadowed experienced personal injury solicitors to understand how the personal injury claims progress works.

I graduated from Sheffield as the first university student in my family so it’s particularly special for me that we are working with them on this project.

Clare Mellor Thompsons' chief executive

 

Clare Mellor, Thompsons’ chief executive, said: “At Thompsons we’ve always been passionate about encouraging talent and looking for ways to support those who might not have had the confidence to see themselves as being able to progress. I graduated from Sheffield as the first university student in my family so it’s particularly special for me that we are working with them on this project.

“This is Thompsons’ centenary year and as a firm we have always encouraged staff who join us at a junior level to progress to the very top of the organisation.

“Having enjoyed meeting our first groups of students we look forward to welcoming more who we hope will be the next wave of leading lawyers reflecting all of society.”

Students who complete the programme will be eligible for conditional offers at the University of Sheffield, providing they meet other requirements such as GCSE requirements or pre-entry tests.

Find out more about Discover Law here.