United Kingdom
Flying Start Programme
Fly ahead with our 2-day interactive workshop for first-year university students, to accelerate your law knowledge and skills.
Flying Start Programme
Our Flying Start Programme is a 2-day experience for those in the early stages of their career. The programme consists of practical skills sessions, interactive group tasks, insightful talks and presentations, networking events, and Q&A discussions. It’s an opportunity for you to explore your interest in the legal industry. You’ll develop lawyer-specific skills and commercial awareness, network with our lawyers, and add valuable experience to your resume.
Our Flying Start Programme will take place on Tuesday 11 July to Wednesday 12 July 2023.
Applying to us
Applications to our Flying Start Programme open on Monday 2 January 2023 and close on Friday 28 April 2023 at midnight.
The application process includes an online application form. Once you have applied, you’ll receive a confirmation of your received application form. Then, you’ll be notified if your application has been successful or unsuccessful.
We operate rolling recruitment, which means we screen applications as they’re received, rather than after our deadline. We encourage you to apply as early as possible.
Who can apply
This workshop is for those who can’t yet apply to our Vacation Schemes or Direct Training Contract. You’re eligible if you are a first-year law undergraduate, or first- or penultimate-year non-law undergraduate student. Please only apply if you can attend both Tuesday 11 July and Wednesday 12 July 2023.
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Inclusivity is integral to us
We know an inclusive culture, alongside a diverse workforce, makes us more innovative and agile. We are keen to create a recruitment process where everyone feels supported to succeed, to ensure that we recruit the top candidates onto our programmes, no matter their background or circumstance. It’s also the right thing to do.
Early Careers UK highlights:
- To minimise bias, we operate blind screening and blind interviewing, so all identification details and previous assessments are hidden from our assessors and interviewers.
- To increase support, we offer confidential advice and adjustments to disabled and neurodiverse candidates to ensure they have a barrier-free recruitment experience. If you require adjustments, you can email our Early Careers team.
- To increase accessibility, we’re recruiting the majority of our candidates online, with online application forms, online Watson-Glaser tests, online video interviews, and (some) virtual assessment centres. Our Flying Start Programme, Virtual Experience Programme and Open Days are entirely online.
- To increase diversity in underrepresented groups, we introduced the Rare Recruitment Contextual Recruitment System (CRS) into our recruitment process. Since August 2018, we’ve used contextual data to help us identify candidates with the greatest potential despite their significant academic, personal or socio-economic disadvantage. We can recognise the achievements of candidates in the context in which they were gained.
- To increase diversity in the legal professional, we partner with a number of platforms, networks and initiatives to educate and equip aspiring lawyers with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. For example, we work with 10,000 Black Interns , Aspiring Solicitors, Forage.
Sustainability is a core strategic initiative for us – it’s vital to our people, our clients, and our planet.
From paper brochures to tote bags, plastic bottles, and travelling across the country, we recognise the impact of recruitment on the environment, and we’re committed to making a greener way of recruiting. The Early Careers UK team are transforming the way in which they recruit, with sustainability in mind.
Early Careers UK highlights:
- We’re using digital brochures and/or QR codes for people to access our information. You can access all our early career opportunities online, via our social media or website.
- We no longer travel across the UK to universities to participate in in-person law fairs or events, as part of our sustainability and diversity and inclusion initiative. Instead, we’re adopting a hybrid approach by hosting online events and ensuring that any in-person events are accessible by public transport or are hosted at our London office.
- We’re reducing our production of merchandise in Early Careers UK, and anything we do produce will be from a sustainable, ethical source.
- We’re recruiting the majority of our candidates online, with online application forms, online Watson-Glaser tests, online video interviews, and (some) virtual assessment centres. Our Flying Start Programme, Virtual Experience Programme and Open Days are entirely online.
- We’re reducing the amount of meat served at our events and offering more meat-alternatives for vegetarians, vegans, and those with dietary requirements.
- You can read more about our firmwide sustainability programme, including our commitment to set science-based net zero targets here.