If you join PRIME, you’ll be joining good company. Our members include all top 15 of the largest UK firms by revenue, as well as other firms and in-house teams from across the UK and Republic of Ireland.
They are all working to ensure that everyone who wants to enter the world of law has an equal chance to do so. Established in 2010, our member law firms have provided more than 15,000 weeks of legal work experience for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds; in the process inspiring thousands of students, and the colleagues within their firms who support them.
Every time we help a PRIME student achieve their ambitions, we break down barriers for future generations to pursue their own dreams.
The Power of PRIME.
Member Benefits
Members are given the opportunity to take part in, or utilise, our social mobility initiatives:
Cold Spots insight sessions – a series of virtual sessions to students in years 8 and 9 in cold spot areas. To date we have reached over 2,000 students and have targeted to reach an additional 800 in 2024-25. PRIME members can volunteer to deliver areas of the programme alongside our expert facilitators.
Virtual Legal Work Experience Programme – designed by lawyers and law firm recruitment specialists, students will get to experience what real lawyers do every day, working on tasks that introduce them to different practice areas, including commercial and criminal law. PRME member firms can point students towards this, either as a preparation tool for work experience or as a follow-up. It is designed for students who meet PRIME’s eligibility criteria.
Members are sent our Best Practice Guide, detailing how to set up and run an effective work experience programme. There are many elements to consider when planning and running an effective work experience programme. Each member will have its own way of working, so, alongside the nine PRIME Commitments, we have created this guide to share best practice. It also features some case studies from members and a partner organisation.
We run a series of webinars for members to accompany the best practice guide. Delivered by PRIME partners with expertise in the social mobility and legal space, and our members, these informal and insightful sessions allow our members to learn from each other, share ideas and challenges and, ultimately, push each other to do more.
Previous webinars include:
- Selecting Students for a PRIME Work Experience Programme (Rare)
- How can apprenticeships be used to increase social mobility in the legal sector? (The Sutton Trust)
- Careers Outreach & Young Carers: increasing access, supporting success (Causeway Education)
- Utilising virtual platforms to support your PRIME work experience programmes (Forage)
- Running a PRIME Work Experience Programme (various member firms)
As a PRIME member, you are also able to use of the PRIME logo and branding which is recognised in the social mobility space as a sign of effective and impactful programmes.
Each year we gather information from our members and produce an Impact Report on the collective effect of PRIME work experience programmes. You can read our most recent reports here.
2021-22
2022-23
Together with our member firms, we are working to improve access to, and socio-economic diversity within, the legal profession.
Our goal is to embed social mobility within the legal profession and to ensure that the path ultimately to partnership is accessible to all of those who have the talent and desire to achieve it. We know that our industry can only change if we all work together.
This is what makes PRIME so powerful – the coming together of law firms from across the country in a shared commitment to giving young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds the chance to gain an insight into the legal profession, through work experience.
Work experience opportunities at member firms are listed on our website promoted on our social channels and on our virtual legal work experience platform.
We also partner with a number of organisations that can help you directly with student recruitment.
With a Board made up of social mobility experts and lawyers, members are able to seek support and guidance on the running of work experience programmes. You will also be part of an alliance of over 60 other law firms and in-house teams who collaborate and drive change together. We also issue guidance notes on specific topics when questions are raised by member firms.
We have developed, in consultancy with the NSPCC, a Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy that member firms can use.
All young people have the right to be protected from harm. At PRIME we are committed to protecting all young people who take part in work experience programmes at our member firms. We all have a responsibility to ensure that we promote young people’s wellbeing and protect them from harm.
Our safeguarding policy is in a template form that can be edited as necessary, depending on where in the UK your work experience takes place. There are also areas for you to insert your firm’s key contacts and internal procedural information.
