Widening access to the profession

Our commitment to diversity starts with young people, often long before they would come to work for us. We want to widen access to the legal profession, ensuring that young people who don’t have the resources, or personal connections in the legal sector, have access to our office and our people.

In the UK, we partner with Whizz Kidz to provide work experience to young wheelchair users. We are founding members of the Aspiring Solicitors Foundation which focuses on removing financial hardship for students so they can pursue a career in law. Through our longstanding partnership with Blueprint for all formerly known as The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, we have developed an online careers toolkit for those interested in a career in law across the UK.

Our scholarship programme offers £15,000 per year to cover the costs of university fees and contribute to living expenses. Recipients will also have a mentor from the firm, and will be invited to our insight days, work experience, and are guaranteed a place at an assessment centre for a training contract.

Our Hong Kong office is a member of Project WeCan, a business in the community programme providing disadvantaged students with opportunities and care to empower them to pursue higher studies and career opportunities. Each school is coupled with a corporate partner for a multi-year collaboration. Stephenson Harwood, Hong Kong office has been working with the Hong Kong Teachers' Association Lee Heng Kwei Secondary School since 2018. We welcome students to our offices for company visits and provide work experience opportunities, career talks and interview skills workshops.