Member Article

Another national accolade for Gordons’ apprenticeship scheme

Yorkshire law firm, Gordons, is celebrating after landing a coveted national award for its pioneering annual apprenticeship programme.

The scheme has won the Most Effective Diversity Programme of the Year category in the inaugural Management Awards, organised by The Lawyer. Leeds and Bradford-based Gordons’ entry beat stiff competition for the accolade, including submissions from global practices Baker & McKenzie and Norton Rose Fulbright, which were placed second and third respectively.

The prize was announced at a presentation event in London venue The Brewery, where firms - and those responsible for ensuring the smooth delivery of operational and strategic management functions within them - across the country were recognised.

The first scheme of its kind when it was launched in 2011, Gordons’ apprenticeship programme enhances diversity and promotes social mobility, by offering a route into the legal profession for a selection of bright 18-year-old school leavers who would otherwise be excluded from it by their inability to attend university each year. The firm’s apprentices train initially as chartered legal executive lawyers through a mix of practical work experience and study over five years.

The latest accolade follows several awards for the apprenticeship programme earlier this year. These included the Best Training and Best Job Satisfaction categories at the annual national Top Employers for School and College Leavers Awards. In addition, Gordons was named Ambassador of the Year at this year’s Leeds Apprenticeship Awards and Newcomer of the Year in the Yorkshire & Humber regional section of the National Apprenticeship Awards.

The programme was also been highly commended in the Excellence in Community Investment category of last year’s Law Society Excellence Awards.

Gordons managing partner, Paul Ayre, said: “This is another coveted prize for all those involved in our apprenticeship scheme, which means a great many people within our organisation. However, I’d like to particularly congratulate Barbara Rollin, the partner in charge of the scheme, and Karen Mills, our HR manager, who play especially important roles in making the initiative such a success.” One of the UK’s most successful law firms, Gordons has been established for over 169 years, currently employs 265 people and has a turnover of more than £25.3 million. Clients include Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc; construction and high performance materials manufacturer, Saint Gobain; international brewers, Molson Coors; greetings card retailer, Card Factory and the world’s largest electrical heating business, Glen Dimplex.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by David Gatehouse .