Final year Law student Lewis Cockle is beenfitting from the scheme

University of Sussex students are again benefiting from the expertise of employees from  Pinsent Masons LLP, thanks to an annual mentoring scheme for aspiring lawyers.

The programme, now in its third year, was launched in February at the international law firm.

Dr Bal Sokhi-Bulley, Employability Lead for the School of Law, Politics and Sociology (LPS), said: “The Pinsent Masons Law Mentoring Programme provides a fantastic chance for students to not only learn valuable skills but to do so first hand and by experience. Learning legal culture, attitudes and suitability to a career in practice is vital at this stage in students’ academic learning.”

At the launch event, the mentees learnt about the trainee graduate recruitment process. This was followed by a networking session with legal professionals from different areas within the firm, who included Sussex law alumna, solicitor Tamara Al-Khayat (Law 2014).

Lewis Cockle, a final-year Law student, said: “Being able to speak with trainees and solicitors gave me some really valuable insights into the legal field. It's a world which often seems imposing and impenetrable, even for those like myself that have already had a few successful jobs.”

Laura Wilson, an associate from Pinsent Masons who has helped oversee the scheme, said: ‘We felt that the students were highly engaged with our initial presentation about the scheme, our firm and about the types of skills needed to be a lawyer.

"Many students also took the opportunity to ask more practical questions, which helped to ease concerns and dispel myths surrounding training contracts and commercial law firms generally. We are looking forward to working with the students for the remainder of the academic year!"

Any Sussex alumni who want to help current students can offer career insights and mentoring via our online platform Sussex Connect.

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