16 Sep 2019 | 12:01 am | 1 min. read
International law firm Pinsent Masons has launched a virtual internship enabling students to gain valuable experience of working as a lawyer within its business.
The online course was developed by a team of lawyers to give students regardless of level of qualification, location or previous experience, a unique opportunity to undertake tasks typically managed by junior lawyers during the lifecycle of a transaction.
The bespoke internship has been specifically developed by Pinsent Masons' lawyers to create an experience that mirrors historic matters.
Launching in Australia, and as a 12 month pilot in the UK, the online experience enables a diverse range of talent to access the opportunities available to them at the firm:
"Securing internships and placements at top law firms is highly competitive, and for some individuals coming from certain backgrounds or locations, they can feel even more inaccessible", said Deborah McCormack, Head of Early Talent.
"This virtual internship enables all students, regardless of where they were educated, where they live or other circumstances, to demonstrate their talent by completing assignments on a series of given tasks."
Alison Laird, Head of Innovation and Project Delivery, APAC adds:
"Pinsent Masons' philosophy is that diversity and inclusivity is critical if business is to work better for our people and our clients. A diverse business is rich with valuable experience, innovative thinking and perspectives. The launch of our virtual internship is an important means of widening our access to talented future lawyers and an ideal opportunity for them to feel what it is like to be part of Pinsent Masons."
The program is free to undertake and enables students to experience the lifecycle of a matter from front-end transactions including setting up a company and contract execution, to managing a project and providing contract guidance, to drafting witness statements in a dispute.
In Australia, the graduate recruitment team will be using the tool to closely monitor virtual interns for standout candidates.
Sandra Nguyen, a student involved in the testing of the platform, said:
"This is a great learning opportunity especially for pre-penultimate law students like myself in the lead-up to the long journey of clerkships, graduate applications and becoming a lawyer. It will help students to build skills that extend far beyond the classroom."
To sign up to the virtual internship, please visit:
Australia: https://www.insidesherpa.com/Pinsent-Masons-Australia-Law-Virtual-Internship
UK: https://www.insidesherpa.com/Pinsent-Masons-UK-Law-Virtual-Internship
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