Uptree

Global legal business DWF Law LLP have been partnered with Uptree since 2019, enabling them to reach and engage with diverse talent, whilst helping students find out about the firm and the transformational legal services they offer. DWF is committed to improving diversity and inclusion within their organisation and have recently appeared in the Social Mobility Foundation’s Top 75 Employer Index for Social Mobility.

Uptree spoke with DWF Apprenticeship Specialist, ​​Aisha Saeed, about the current challenges for students in a rapidly changing world and why our partnership is so important.

What are the current challenges you see for young people who want to get into Legal roles at DWF & more broadly?

At DWF, we offer alternative pathways into law through our paralegal and solicitor apprenticeship scheme for A-level students.

A recurring challenge we see is that some parents, teachers and students are perhaps not aware of the alternative to university route available in the legal sector, such as qualifying as a solicitor via the apprenticeship scheme. This could be due to not having access or resources to find out about these options, such as technology i.e. having laptops or internet in households or not understanding the benefits of apprenticeships.

Due to the pandemic and virtual settings, students are also having to adjust to attending online assessment centres as part of the recruitment process which can be quite daunting for them.

We have created a guide to our assessment centre which provides students with tips on how to prepare and feel at ease during the process.

Another factor we take into consideration is that some students won't have relevant work experience (considerably more so now due to COVID), however we’ve found it is important for students to reflect on skills they have acquired during their education and extracurricular activities as well as their personal life. These can be linked to the employer's values, so it is important for students to understand and engage with these. The DWF values are:

Why do you think partnerships are so important when it comes to reaching early careers talent & solving these challenges?

Partnerships offer a clear benefit as it allows both parties to reach a wider and more diverse pool of talent, providing students with additional resources and experiences. DWF is committed to improving the diversity and inclusion strategy within the organization, and working in partnership to achieve this is always beneficial for us.

Building a strong and positive link between schools and the world of work enables students to raise their aspirations.

It is important for us at DWF to support these initiatives, specifically through our recruitment process and engagement opportunities. This increases our reach and supports those from disadvantaged or low socially mobile backgrounds, allowing those students to make the most of the prospects available. Increasing the numbers of young people from low income and diverse backgrounds to improve their confidence allows young people to develop key employability skills and become more work ready.

Tell us more about how DWF and Uptree are working together.

One of the key focus areas for DWF is to provide accessible routes into law for students from BAME and low-income backgrounds, whilst educating parents and teachers. Uptree helps us achieve this by reaching out and working with their network of schools, colleges and students, promoting our apprenticeship opportunities via newsletters and their platform and partnering with us to deliver insight days to raise further awareness about DWF and career pathways in the legal sector. Uptree also provides useful impact reports following the sessions, which help break down the diversity of students who attend and ensure we are reaching the right audience and achieving our goals.

What is your favourite part about working with Uptree?

Uptree are always very engaging, and provide regular updates regarding feedback from students which is great to hear. They ensure our needs are being met when discussing our aims and objectives regarding our D&I strategy, and this is demonstrated in the reach of students attending our events. The insight days we run in partnership with Uptree are always well received and support our social mobility impact.

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