Pinsent Masons launches its first Middle East focused graduate trainee programme

The trainee programme is believed to be one of the first of its kind in the Middle East and is aimed at underpinning the firm’s strategic growth plans within the region, as well as supporting its ambition to nurture promising Emirati, Qatari and other lawyers from the Middle East.

Under the programme, which officially starts in September 2014 with four trainee lawyers, Pinsent Masons will provide their new recruits with a two year traineeship that rotates them between their offices in Dubai, Doha and the firm’s headquarters in London, where they will spend at least a year working alongside British colleagues. Once the full rotation is complete, the trainees will receive a globally respected English legal qualification, which falls under a framework set out by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, with a view to qualifying into one of the firm’s growing offices in the UAE and Qatar.

The initial cohort of four trainees, who all graduated from the University of Law in the UK, was carefully selected by Partners already based in the GCC. They were chosen because of their close ties to the Middle East and their understanding of the region’s language and unique culture. Looking ahead to future intakes, the firm's aim is to discuss recruitment to the trainee programme with a number of higher education institutions based within the region.

Commenting, Sachin Kerur, Head of Gulf Region at Pinsent Masons, said:

“We are delighted to be rolling out a dedicated and tailored-made graduate trainee programme for our operations in the Middle East. This region is a growing part of our international business and to capitalise on the significant opportunities it is likely to present in the years ahead, we fully understand the need to invest in and develop local talent, including Emirati and Qatari nationals. We want to recruit junior lawyers who share our excitement about the region's future and want to make a commitment to being a part of it.

“Through this programme, the law graduates we have carefully selected will be exposed to the legal systems in a numbers of important jurisdictions, including the UK, and they will receive a highly respected qualification at the end of their programme. They will also be exposed to our thriving Middle East operations, which deal with the unique dynamics and culture of the region.

“Our ambition is to refine and expand this programme over time, ultimately opening it up to the best legal talent studying at local universities. We believe that while this is a significant investment of time and resources, it will give our firm a clear strategic advantage as we look to capture exciting opportunities across the whole of the Middle East.”