About PRIME
PRIME is an alliance of law firms and in-house legal teams across the UK and Republic of Ireland determined to improve access to, and socio-economic diversity within, the legal profession.
PRIME in numbers
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2011
Founded
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61
Member firms
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27
Partner Organisations
Over
17,000
Weeks of work experience given
Experience for
1,693
students in 2023-24
Over
2,000
Students reached through insight sessions at schools in cold spot locations
PRIME Stories
“Being a lawyer always felt very distant. There certainly is a world where I wouldn’t have gone to University, but I was lucky to be given an insight by PRIME….Regardless of your background, a career in law can be achieved.”
PRIME Stories
“I always got told that law was too competitive and I wouldn’t be able to make it. When I found PRIME I finally had that motivation to actually become a lawyer and do something for myself.”
What do our students say?
There is no more important an impact than the one that PRIME work experience has on our students. Since PRIME launched in 2011, over 10,000 students have been able to access quality work experience at a host of law firms across the country.
PRIME student at Slaughter and May
It was a privilege to be able to speak to some of the firm’s partners and discuss current affairs with them. I also particularly enjoyed the office tour with one of the firms’ trainees who was extremely enthusiastic about his work and answered any questions we had regarding the firm’s practices. I also enjoyed the unexpected career journeys panel as it gave an insight into other areas of the firm and it also sparked my interest in Legal Technology.
PRIME student at Fried Frank
My work experience placement at Fried Frank was truly one of the most exciting and enjoyable experiences I’ve had. A huge part of what made this experience so good for me was the welcoming and friendly community at Fried Frank; during my time there, I formed bonds with almost all of the people I met, and it was inspiring to witness first-hand the passion that everyone there has for the law.
PRIME student at Freshfields
One of the most insightful weeks, the prospect of meeting new people was very daunting at first but… we are actually very good friends now and talk on a daily basis. This programme not only lets you experience a top-quality law firm’s environment, but makes you feel a part of it, like your opinion matters to them and you feel valued most of all. A wonderful experience and I’d do it again.
The PRIME Commitment
Every law firm and in-house legal team involved in PRIME makes what we call the PRIME Commitment. It’s how we make sure we’re offering the right quality of experience across all placements, so firms are only able to sign up if they’re able to make that commitment. Our 9 commitments are detailed here so you know what to expect, no matter where you do your work experience.
1. Fair access
Our mission is clear and that’s to provide access to work experience for young people who have least opportunity. Our members work with recognised partners to ensure the selection criteria continue to be the fairest way to identify those with least opportunity.
2. Provide support
We pledge to support our PRIME students by providing financial assistance so they can attend work experience. As a minimum our firms will provide refreshments and reimburse reasonable travel expenses.
3. Prepare for work
PRIME schemes will properly prepare young people in advance of work experience. They’ll give practical information and pre-placement activities where appropriate. Our firms will ensure they’re able to meet the diverse needs of their PRIME students.
4. Give career advice
Our firms will give information to their PRIME students about the range of careers available in the legal profession and wider business (for lawyers and non-lawyers) and clear, honest information about the requirements for them. They’ll also give information on the potential routes into those careers, including the relevance of university education and other routes into the profession. To support this information, our firms will adopt a partnership approach with other relevant organisations (e.g universities and clients).
5. Develop key skills
Our members will ensure that our PRIME students, through the work experience they receive, develop key personal and business skills. These invaluable skills (such as team work, communication, presentation, negotiation, making an impact and networking) are fundamental to a career in law and the wider business world.
6. Maintain contact
We don’t want the PRIME experience to end when the work experience does. Our firms will provide a way for PRIME students to maintain contact with them after they leave – whether that be over email or a more formal structured mentoring programme or an annual reunion event.
7. Keep up best practice
Our member firms want to develop and improve on the work experience they offer. All of our firms pledge to monitor their work experience offering. They’ll ensure they share best practice and data amongst PRIME members to enable the membership to develop and assure the quality of the commitments made under PRIME, including with externally commissioned evaluation when considered appropriate.
8. Target 50%
PRIME members commit to providing opportunities to those who need it most. As a result, our firms pledge to offer a number of work experience places that is not less than 50% of the number of training contract places that the firm offers each year.
9. 30-35 hours contact time
We make sure our firms won’t cut work experience short. PRIME work experience ensures that firms provide at least 30-35 hours of contact time per student (not necessarily on consecutive days).
Why do we need PRIME?
Put simply, because the legal sector should be open to talent from all economic backgrounds – and there’s still more work to do to put things right.
The most recent Social Mobility Commission report found that:
71
of senior judges went to independent schools
65
of people believe ‘who you know’ is more important than ‘what you know’
75
of people think family background influences life chances in Britain
”I would encourage any law firm who was thinking about joining PRIME, to just dive in and do it!
Molly Lewis, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and PRIME Trustee
