National: 'BEGINNINGS at Baker McKenzie' Programme, Virtual Insight Session Online event
About this session.
Are you in Year 12, or the equivalent year in Scotland or Northern Ireland, and curious about a career in law? Join Baker McKenzie for a one hour Virtual Insight Session where you will discover what lawyers really do, hear from people at different stages of their careers, and find out how to apply for BEGINNINGS at Baker McKenzie, the firm’s 18 month programme that helps students from all backgrounds take their first steps into law.
Who can apply.
To register for this session and apply for the programme, you must:
- be in Year 12 (England and Wales), S5 (Scotland) or Lower Sixth (Northern Ireland) in the 2026 to 2027 academic year;
- have achieved grade 4 or above in GCSE English and Maths;
- attend, and have always attended since the age of 11, a state funded school or college that does not charge fees;
- be available for the three day work experience placement in London from 3 to 5 August 2027.
You must also meet at least one of the following criteria:
- You have been, or are currently, in local authority care.
- You currently receive, or have previously received, free school meals, Pupil Premium, Education Maintenance Allowance or a 16 to 19 Bursary.
- You are, or have been, a full time or part time carer.
- You came to the UK as a refugee or asylum seeker.
- Your main household earner works in a routine or manual occupation, as defined in the PRIME parental occupation guide.
- Your school or college has a below average A Level or Higher point score, or a low rate of progression to higher education, as set out in the PRIME school eligibility criteria.
- No parent or guardian in your household attended university.
Please be sure to check your spam or junk folder for important event updates such as invitations or possible date changes, especially in the three weeks before the event.
- Date:
About BEGINNINGS at Baker McKenzie.
BEGINNINGS is an 18 month programme designed to fit around your studies, and each year Baker McKenzie selects 20 students to take part. If you are successful, you will:
- attend regular skills sessions, online and in person, that build your confidence and employability in law;
- network with lawyers and business professionals at the firm;
- complete a paid three day work experience placement at Baker McKenzie’s London office from 3 to 5 August 2027;
- receive support from your own dedicated mentor, along with guidance on UCAS, exams and preparing for university.
Baker McKenzie covers travel costs throughout the programme, and also covers accommodation for students who live outside London. Applications open on 1 December 2026 and close on 18 January 2027, and students who show strong commitment may be invited to continue onto FUTURES at Baker McKenzie in their first year of university.
About Baker McKenzie.
Baker McKenzie is a global law firm with more than 70 offices worldwide and a team of 13,000 people, including over 6,500 lawyers, who advise clients on some of the largest and most complex cross border deals, disputes and investigations in the UK and around the world.
Find out more about Baker McKenzie on their Company Page.
Agenda
Example agenda:
- Welcome and introductions
- An introduction to Baker McKenzie and life at the firm
- Why the legal profession matters to society
- A career story from a trainee solicitor
- A panel Q&A with partners, associates and business services colleagues
- Speed networking
- A skills activity exploring resilience, attention to detail, organisation and teamwork
- How to apply for BEGINNINGS at Baker McKenzie
- Reflections and close
Next steps
- Register for this online event using your Uptree account. If you do not have an Uptree account, register here.
- Priority will be given to students who meet the criteria listed at the top of this page.
- Prioritisation will begin two weeks before the event - successful applicants will receive an invitation 1-2 weeks before the event. If you register after this time, you might not receive a response.
Our attendance policy.
We take attendance at every Uptree event very seriously because places are limited and highly competitive. If you do not attend without letting us know, or you cancel less than 24 hours before the event, your account will be suspended for three months, because late cancellations stop us from offering your place to another student.
If you have any questions, please email us at educationteam@uptree.co.
Fine print
Personal information
When you apply for this event, we use the information you give us to check if you meet the requirements set by the employer. If your application is successful, we will share your first name, last name, and your parent or guardian’s mobile number with the employer. We may also include any dietary or medical information you choose to share during your application to help keep you safe.
We use this information to make sure the event is safe and runs smoothly. All the information we share with the employer is sent securely in protected files and deleted after the event is over.
If the employer needs any extra information about you, we will always ask for your clear permission first. This means you must say ‘yes’ before we share anything.
Photography and videography consent
At any Uptree event, including online ones using video conferencing, we and the employer hosting the event might take photos or videos to share in marketing materials. This means the pictures or videos could appear on our website, social media, in press releases, or other places to help more people learn about Uptree. We might also share these photos with the employer hosting the event, so they can use them too.
By signing up for an event with Uptree, you are giving us and the employer permission to take and use photos of you. If you don’t want us to take photos of you, please email us with your name and the event name at educationteam@uptree.co.
If you’d like to share your experience on LinkedIn or other social media, you’re welcome to take photos at the in-person events! Just make sure to be professional, ask permission before taking pictures of other people or employer volunteers, and only take photos at appropriate times so you don’t interrupt the event.
For online events, screenshots aren’t ever allowed. This helps keep everyone’s privacy safe, which is really important. Don’t worry—after the event, we’ll send out some great photos that you can share on social media. We’ll make sure everyone in the pictures is happy to be included!
Marketing and feedback consent
After every Uptree event, we ask for feedback through a short, anonymous survey. This helps us improve our events and services. Sometimes, we also use the feedback in our marketing, which means your comments might appear on our website, social media, or in press releases to help people learn about Uptree.
Your feedback will always stay anonymous—this means no one will know it was you who gave the feedback. We might also share the feedback with the employer who hosted the event so they can make their events better and use it in their own marketing.
By filling out the feedback form, you’re giving Uptree permission to use your comments and share them with employers, but your name will never be included unless we obtain your permission in writing. If you would prefer not to share your feedback, then that is absolutely fine and will not affect your ability to participate in Uptree events, just let your Event Host know on the day.
Here is the link to our Privacy Notice where you can remind yourself how we collect and process your data.