Black Country students gain insight into careers in law through work experience programme

Higgs LLP has welcomed 30 Year 12 students from across the Black Country for its largest work experience programme to date, giving young people an insight into careers in law and professional services.

The two-day programme was designed to broaden students’ understanding of the different opportunities and career pathways available within the legal sector and at Higgs LLP.

It comes as government research highlights a lack of work experience as a major barrier preventing young people from entering employment, with those who could benefit most from early workplace exposure often the least likely to access it.

During the programme, students attended sessions led by colleagues from across the firm, including teams covering Family Law, Private Client, Corporate, Real Estate, Personal Injury, Clinical Negligence, Legal Services and IT.

They also learned about the range of routes into the profession, including solicitor apprenticeships, traditional training pathways and finance careers, while meeting current trainees and solicitor apprentices to hear about their own experiences.

As well as exploring potential career options, students developed employability skills, gained practical advice on building their futures and experienced what it is like to work in a professional office environment.

Hardeep Kharbanda-Camp, Resource and Inclusion Adviser at Higgs LLP, who led the sessions, said the programme aimed to give students a genuine insight into the workplace.

She said: “We know that meaningful experiences can have a lasting impact on a young person’s confidence and career aspirations when they are still in education.

“I wanted to give students a genuine insight into life at Higgs and show them the vast range of opportunities available to them, whether that’s as a solicitor, through an apprenticeship scheme, or in one of the many professional services roles that support our firm to thrive.

“We’re proud to support young people in our local communities and help open doors to future opportunities. The students were wonderfully enthusiastic and ambitious, and for me personally it was extremely rewarding.”

The work experience programme is part of Higgs LLP’s ongoing commitment to supporting education, developing local talent and creating opportunities for the next generation.