Sounds of friendly chatter, clinking glasses and croquet on the lawn echoed round Trinity House as Leicester Institute of Legal Practice (LILP) played host to the Leicestershire legal community.
Solicitors, barristers, judges and magistrates mingled in and out of the May evening shadows at the annual LLIP garden party, held to thank supporters for their commitment to helping De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) train those entering the legal profession.
Head of DMU Law School Sheree Peaple welcomed ‘trusted and cherished friends’ to the 1331 Trinity House Chapel, commissioned by Henry 3rd Earl of Leicester as part of an almshouse and hospital, with the message: “We really do appreciate all your help.”
Many solicitors act as mentors for DMU law students and a number of law firms offer them placements as part of their studies. Firms represented at the event included Moosa-Duke, Shakespeare's, Emery Johnson Astills, Jones & Duffin, Affinity Law, Thankey Mahet, New Walk Chambers, Freeths, Weightmans, Gateley LLP and Irwin Mitchell. District Judge Vera Stamenkovich and Judge Paul Swann also attended.
Adam (left) with senior law lecturer Vaughan Hall
Adam Wright (28), from Hinckley, studied his Legal Practice Course (LPC) at DMU from 2008, after graduating from Keele University. He qualified as a medical negligence lawyer with Irwin Mitchell, in Birmingham, just over a year ago.
He said he landed his job through the DMU mentoring scheme: “Vaughan Hall, who runs the mentoring programme, put me in touch with Rupesh Masani, himself a former LPC student at DMU, who was training to be a solicitor with Irwin Mitchell.
“We got on really well and though I had no real-life legal experience at the time, I think Rupesh could see just how interested I was in his work in clinical negligence.”
Adam went on to do three weeks’ works experience with Irwin Mitchell, who later took him on as a paralegal for three and a half years, working in their international travel litigation team before securing an 18-months’ training contract in the run up to qualification as a solicitor.
“Rupesh has since moved to Weightmans but he’s continued to be involved in mentoring and we’ve kept in touch,” said Adam.
Indeed, it was their mentoring partnership that persuaded Adam to follow Rupesh’s example and become a DMU mentor himself. He’s currently working with Tara Wright, who herself is soon to complete her LPC at DMU. Through their mentoring relationship, Adam has been able to introduce Tara to Irwin Mitchell and she has since secured a paralegal role at the firm. Adam believes she too shows interest in becoming a future mentor.
Legal consultant Henry Doyle, a former partner at Harvey Ingram, has been actively involved supporting the DMU Law Faculty for a number of years, attending practitioner events and mentoring students, finding them work placements and training contracts. He’s currently mentoring two DMU students, one of which, Ishaak Ugradar, has just secured a training contract with Roythornes.
“The universities are crucial to the vibrancy of the city and I get great satisfaction from encouraging young people by helping to lessen the difficulties they face getting established, enabling them to develop and pursue their career as a lawyer in Leicester,” said Henry.
Dav Mahet, of Thankey Mahet, is another mentor who studied at DMU and got his first work experience through the DMU mentoring programme: “I got to work with Emery Johnson and so I’ve welcomed the chance to give students the same kind of opportunity I had. We’re planning to take on two more DMU students this year.”
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Vaughan Hall, Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Business & Law, said: “We were among the first universities to guarantee their students a practitioner mentor and the programme has grown organically as an increasing number of our graduates have wanted to give something back by helping today’s students.
“Our commitment to mentoring shows just how serious we are at DMU about employability. It’s all about tapping into industry knowledge and expertise, giving our students an active opportunity to meet law professionals, learn from them and begin to build a career.”
Posted on Wednesday 27 May 2015