Access Ashurst
Our Access Ashurst Programme has been designed to increase access to law for young people experiencing disadvantage.
The programme provides students with the opportunity to take part in two weeks of paid work experience and skills workshops in the summer of year 12, while receiving mentor support throughout their final year of study.
Programme overview
Week 1: During the first week of the programme (21 July - 25 July 2025), students will spend a week at our London Office, gaining an insight into life at the firm. Students will spend two days with a legal supervisor in departments across the office and on the remaining days will take part in interactive skills sessions and workshops, involving representatives from Ashurst and our clients.
Week 2: During the second week of the programme (28 July - 1 August 2025), students will spend a day at five different organisations as part of the Social Mobility Business Partnership (SMBP). During this week students will receive an in-depth overview of each organisation, as well as the role of an In-house lawyer.
Ongoing support: Students will be matched with a volunteer mentor from Ashurst throughout Year 13 to provide students with a greater insight into life as a lawyer as well as guidance on taking the next steps into higher education or employment.
Important information
Full travel expenses will be covered for all of our students. For students who live more than 2 hours commute away from our London office, we require that you stay with a suitable supervising adult (i.e. family member or family friend) for the duration of the programme. We will require your parent's or guardian's written permission in this instance.
Lunch and refreshments will be provided for both work experience weeks.
Note: Applications for our 2025/2026 programme will close on 7 January 2025 at midday. Apply here.
Who are we looking for?
Our Access Ashurst programme criteria is based on the criteria set out by Prime.
We encourage you to apply if:
you are in your penultimate year of secondary school (Year 12 in England or Wales, Year 13 in Northern Ireland, or S5 in Scotland (or equivalent).
you are attending a state funded, non-fee paying school/college or are attending a fee paying school on a 100% means-tested bursary.
You must also meet one or more of the following:
be currently or have previously been in local authority care.
be currently in receipt of, or have previously received, free school meals, Pupil Premium, Education Maintenance Allowance and/or 16 to 19 Bursary.
be currently or have been a full-time or part-time carer.
have come to the UK as a refugee or asylum seeker.
grew up in a household where the occupation of the main earner is categorised as a routine or manual occupation. For further details please click here.
are attending a state school or college with:
below average A-Level or Higher point score and/or:
low rate of progression to higher education (PRIME Work Experience School Eligibility Criteria)
grew up in a household where no parent or guardian attended University.
We are passionate about reaching students who will benefit most from this opportunity and use Rare Recruitment's contextual recruitment system (CRS) to support us with our recruitment decisions in relation to applying the above 'additional criteria'. The CRS allows us to understand your achievements in the context in which they have been gained.
We seek to recruit the best people, from every background, regardless of their personal circumstances, and the CRS help us to do that.If you are (or have been) looked after, accommodated or in care, you only need to meet the school year requirement listed in the Eligibility Requirements section.
There is room on the application form to explain any extenuating circumstances that might impact your application. These above additional criteria are not exhaustive and may be amended over time.
The programme will take place in London – students must be able to travel to London for the duration of the two week programme. Full travel expenses will be covered for all travel.
What we can offer you
Paid work experience
Students will be paid the London Living Wage for 2 weeks of work experience. The dates for 2025 are 21 July to 1 August.
Career mentorship
You will be matched with a career mentor to support you with career guidance throughout year 13. Your mentor will help you to understand the roles available in the legal industry and will provide you with guidance on what you can do to get to where you want to be.
Skills workshops
You will have the opportunity to attend a series of interactive workshops to give you a deeper insight into the role of a legal professional. The workshops will help you to build your knowledge of the industry and routes into the profession.
The recruitment process
Our application form includes a series of questions to help us learn more about you, your interest in our Access Ashurst programme and your passion for a career in commercial law.
Top tips:
Make sure you allow plenty of time to complete the application form – this should include time at the end to carefully proof read your application before submitting.
Draft your application in Microsoft Word to make use of the spelling and grammar checker.
Spend time researching Ashurst and the type of law we specialise in – remember to mention why this type of law interests you.
Use the word limit as guidance for how much you should write and remember to back up your statements with relevant research and examples.
Try to avoid long sentences where these are not needed. Short sentences are easier to read and will help you to get your point across more clearly.
Finally, don't be tempted to copy and paste from our website. We want to read your own words and not ours!
Videos
Please watch these two videos, which will help you with completing your application form:
Online ability test
Our online test is designed to help you learn more about the work you’d do if you were a solicitor apprentice or trainee solicitor and to help us understand if you’d be a good match for a career in law. The assessment includes behavioural and cognitive assessment questions to understand how you behave in, and approach, a range of situations as well as assess your critical reasoning skills that are important for the role of a lawyer. Our assessment partner is Cappfinity.
Top tips:
To find out more about what the assessment entails and how you can prepare (including practice test links), visit the preparation hub.
Our telephone interview will take approximately 30 minutes and will be with a member of Ashurst's Social Impact or Human Resources (HR) teams or with an Ashurst lawyer actively involved in our Access Ashurst programme.
The interview questions will help us understand your passion for a career in commercial law and your interest in our Access Ashurst programme. We will also ask you a series of competency questions to help us learn more about the skills and experiences you have that make you a strong candidate for the programme.
Top tips:
Make sure you allow plenty of time to prepare for your interview by researching Ashurst and the types of law that we specialise in.
Think about the skills and experiences that you have and how these might match with the skills and experiences we look for in our junior lawyers
We are committed to making all stages of our recruitment process accessible to candidates with disabilities or long-term health conditions.
If you consider yourself to have a disability or a long-term health condition, please feel able to be open about this at any point during the recruitment process. If you are not sure what adjustments you require, we will work with you to establish the most suitable adjustments at each stage of the recruitment process. Please note that our online application form includes a section which allows you to advise us of any extenuating circumstances that are relevant for us to consider when reviewing your application form.
If you would like to talk to a member of our team in relation to any queries you may have on your disability or long-term health condition and the recruitment process, please get in touch. Any information disclosed on your disability will remain strictly confidential.
Access Ashurst: Programme Insights
Watch this short video to learn more about our Access Ashurst programme and the benefits of taking part.
Hear from some of our Access Ashurst alumni and representatives from Ashurst involved in the programme.
Virtual Tour of our London office
Join two of our solicitor apprentices, Matthew and Coinneach, on a virtual tour of our London office, where our Access Ashurst programme takes place.
Access Ashurst Award
We recognise that the cost of studying at university is high and appreciate the additional challenges for students from low socio-economic backgrounds.
Through the Access Ashurst Award we are committed to supporting Access Ashurst alumni with the costs of studying at university.
Our Access Ashurst Award recognises one student each year, from our Access Ashurst programme who has demonstrated outstanding commitment and passion for commercial law over the course of the programme.
The recipient will receive an annual bursary of £2,000 for the duration of their undergraduate course.
The Award is designed to support the recipient with the cost of studying at university. For example, course study materials (such as a laptop and text books), university accommodation and everyday living expenses. To learn more about the Award and our first recipient, Ana Fegan-Smith, watch the below video.
Key dates
Applications open
8 October 2024
Applications close
7 January 2025 at midday
Telephone interviews
TBC
Offers confirmed
TBC
Testimonials
"I enjoyed having hands on experience in the departments and learning more about Ashurst. Moreover, I enjoyed the experience of interacting with new people and I think the biggest thing I took away from this week was that a career in law is accessible for me."
Lily, Access Ashurst 24/25 student
"I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Ashurst and the SMBP week. I was made to feel very welcome over the 2 weeks. I have gained lots of knowledge about a legal career and valuable knowledge about Ashurst, alongside the different departments within the organisation."
Rayan, Access Ashurst 24/25 student
"The Access Ashurst programme allowed me to collaborate with like-minded peers and work on challenging legal matters. The panel discussions and Q&A sessions thoroughly demystified the route into law, specifically the solicitor route. I feel much more confident about the journey ahead and highly recommend this programme to students interested in a legal career."
Amina, Access Ashurst 24/25 student
Applicant Resource Hub
For answers to all your frequently asked questions and information on application & interview tips, the benefits we provide, life at Ashurst, our L&D programmes, and our IDB initiatives.
Visit hub
Inclusion, Diversity & Belonging
Our inclusive and diverse culture stands at the heart of everything we do. For more information on our initiatives and the support we provide please follow the link below.
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If you can’t find answers to your questions on this page or on the Applicant Resource Hub then please contact our Social Impact team.
Diversity
We are committed to offering a safe and welcoming environment for our employees and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. With diversity and inclusion at the heart of what we do we place a strong emphasis on working with people from diverse communities and aim to make a positive impact through our Social Impact programmes.
Speak up!
Ashurst is committed to ensuring an accountable workplace culture. Candidates are encouraged to report any ethical or conduct concerns to our confidential email address: ethics.counsel@ashurst.com.
Please note that this email address should not be used for general enquiries about, or applications for, job positions available at Ashurst as they will not be passed onto the relevant team. Any recruitment enquires should be directed to globalresourcing@ashurst.com.
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