Hertfordshire Law School’s students sign-up for practical experience with UK and Ireland law firm Browne Jacobson

Master of Laws (Solicitors' Practice) law students from the University of Hertfordshire have signed up to a potentially career-defining work experience programme with UK and Ireland law firm Browne Jacobson.

Browne Jacobson has more than 1,200 employees across seven locations in the UK and Ireland. Its Paralegal Excellence Pool allows law students to register their interest in joining the firm's paralegal database.

When work becomes available the firm notifies the Pool and students can apply to work on specific projects.

Browne Jacobson works across a number of sectors, including insurance, financial services, education, health and life sciences, construction and real estate, public sector, energy and infrastructure, manufacturing and industrial, retail and consumer, and technology.

The company is often involved with public inquiries and matters concerning social and environmental impact and sometimes finds itself in need of additional human resources, especially for document review.

Sharmila O'Reilly, Principal Lecturer at Hertfordshire Law School and Solicitor of the Senior Courts, who leads the Herts’ LLM (Solicitors' Practice/SQE) Programme, said:

“This is a wonderful development opportunity allowing students to gain invaluable work experience, under the supervision of excellent legal professionals. They will apply

functioning legal knowledge while practising legal competency skills, helping them to experience life in the law while still studying.

“There is potential for our students to become involved over a duration, on a paid basis.

“Alongside their studies this chance to learn about real-life legal practice is not only career-enhancing but could even be career-defining for some. It reflects Herts’ emphasis on practical experience and preparing our graduates for the real world.”

Rachel Lyne, Partner at Browne Jacobson, said:

“The opportunity to partner with Herts in providing valuable work experience to its current student population and alumni is exciting.  The Paralegal Excellence Pool has been developed to enable our firm to access the best legal talent at the very earliest stages of their professional career development. We look forward to seeing what this partnership can deliver for us and Herts.”

The initiative is one of several ways students derive real-world experience to prepare them for their future careers. This includes volunteering at Hertfordshire Law Clinic, which provides free advice to local communities.

The University offers placement opportunities with various law firms, including notable collaborations with SA Law, Debenhams Ottaway, and also with Browne Jacobson, allowing students to gain valuable industry experience.

The University’s full-scale replica Crown Court allows students to practice advocacy in a realistic setting.

The University has recently launched its Clearing webpages so that undergraduate students wanting to research and explore law courses at Herts. Postgraduates can also study the Master of Laws Solicitors' Practice course by finding out more about studying law at Herts.