Early Bird Pathway & Scholarship
Our Early Bird Pathway supports, develops, and equips young people from low socio-economic backgrounds with the skills they need to achieve their career potential as part of Bird & Bird’s flagship social mobility initiative.
The Pathway is a seven-year programme, supporting students from Year 10 as Early Bird Pioneers to post-college as Early Bird Scholars or Early Bird Alumni. We have two different entry points to the pathway: as a Pioneer or Scholar.
In the last ten years, we have supported over 150 Early Bird Pioneers (Year 10 to 13) on the Pathway. Since 2017, five of our Early Bird Scholars have been awarded a training contract with us and from 2014 we have supported over 40 students during their university studies with mentoring, work experience, workshops, and financial assistance.
In Years 10 to 13, Early Bird Pioneers gain an insight into the legal sector and the full range of careers available within the professional services industry, as well as exposure to the developmental skills needed for a successful career. Early Bird Pioneers receive skills-based and insight workshops, networking opportunities, general support and guidance, as well work experience. The first week of this experience is in our London office, and the second with a different client organisation through our collaboration with the Social Mobility Business Partnership (SMBP) Skills & Insight Programme.
At the end of Year 13, Early Bird Pioneers become Early Bird Alumni for a following three-years, receiving invitations to early career opportunities, networking events, and firm-wide updates. Alternatively, Early Bird Pioneers can apply to our Early Bird Scholarship or Solicitor Apprenticeship to kick-start their career in law.
Applying to us
Bird & Bird partner with Young Professionals to recruit students from schools across London. Applications for the Early Bird Pioneer Programme have now closed.
Over a three-year programme, our Early Bird Scholars receive 1:1 mentoring from a junior solicitor ('Scholar Buddy') for support and career guidance, tailored workshops and skills sessions, financial assistance of £7,500 paid in instalments over their time at university, as well a work experience in our London office.
Early Bird Scholars are automatically awarded a place on our Flying Start Programme and encouraged to complete the Virtual Experience Programme in first year, and then mentored on how to apply for our other early career opportunities, such as our training contract and vacation schemes. We hope that as their knowledge and understanding of the legal world and Bird & Bird develops, they'll choose to apply for a training contract with us.
If you want to pursue a successful career in law with mentoring, workshops, financial assistance, and work experience whilst at university, apply to our Early Bird Scholarship.
Scholarship programme
First year
- Complete the Virtual Experience Programme
- Attend the Flying Start Programme
- In-person work experience at our London office
Penultimate and final year
- Guidance on applying to training contracts and vacation schemes
Throughout university degree
- Mentoring with a Scholar Buddy
- Termly 1:1s with Early Careers
- Termly workshops and skill sessions
- Yearly financial assistance
Applying to us
Applications open: 10 April 2025
Deadline: 31 July 2025
We operate rolling recruitment, which means we screen applications as they are received, rather than after our deadline. We encourage you to apply as early as possible.
Entry requirements
At the time of submitting your application, you should be currently completing your A-Levels/waiting to receive your A-Level results and starting your first year at university in Autumn 2025.
You must fulfil all of the below eligibility criteria:
- you must be in Year 13/about to start university;
- you must be attending a state (non-fee paying) school or sixth form college in the UK;
- you must be the first generation in your immediate family to attend university;
- you must be applying to study Law or a Law-related degree at a UK university (part-time distant learning courses will be considered if circumstances warrant); and
- you should have achieved at least 5 GCSEs including English and Maths at grade 9-4/A*-C, as well as expected to achieve at least AAB or equivalent at A-Level.
You must also fulfil one or more of the below criteria:
- you have been or are eligible for free school meals;
- attend a sixth form college or school where more than 25% of pupils are eligible for free school meals;
- spent time in local authority care; and/or
- you are, or have you been, a parent or a registered carer.
To find out if you’re eligible, you can check your school’s details here.
We understand that you may not have received the grade you hoped for due to extenuating or mitigating circumstances. Please detail any relevant information in your application for us to take into consideration. We also use a Contextual Recruitment System (CRS) to enable us to recruit people from different backgrounds and help us understand your achievements in the context in which they were gained.
Recruitment process
Stage 1 - Online application form
Stage 2 - Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking test
Stage 3 - Pre-recorded video interview
Go to our employability hub, The Nest, to develop your legal skills and commercial awareness, learn about the recruitment process and what we look for in successful candidates, and general advice on navigating your career in law.