Job Description

Role

Access Ashurst Student

Reporting to

Ella Blakesley, Senior Social Impact Manager

Duration

Summer of Year 12 (work experience) and Year 13 (mentoring & virtual skills sessions)

Location

Spitalfields, London (near Liverpool Street Station)



Remuneration & Benefits :


Remuneration : You will be paid the London Living Wage for 2 weeks of work experience. Travel Expenses : Your full travel expenses will be covered by Ashurst and paid to you in advance of the programme. Clothing Voucher : We will arrange for a clothing voucher to be sent to you ahead of the programme to support with professional dress costs. Meals : Lunch and refreshments will be provided for both work experience weeks.

Who is Ashurst?

Ashurst is a leading global law firm with a history spanning almost 200 years. Our London office is based closed to Liverpool Street Station, in Spitalfields. Visit our

website

.



Every year, we provide up to 22 students from state schools with access to a programme of work shadowing, skills workshops and mentoring support.



Access Ashurst is based on the

Prime commitment

, which aims to increase access to law for state school students who will be the first generation in their immediate family to attend university.

Programme Overview

Week 1 : During the first week of the programme (20 July - 24 July 2026), you will spend a week at our London Office, gaining an insight into life at the firm. You 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, involving representatives from Ashurst and our clients. These sessions will focus on a range of topics including news literacy, recruitment top tips, career insights and debating skills. Week 2 : During the second week of the programme (27 July - 31 July 2026), you will spend a day at five different organisations as part of the

Social Mobility Business Partnership

(SMBP). During this week you will receive an in-depth overview of each organisation, as well as the role of an In-house lawyer. Ongoing support : You will be matched with a volunteer mentor from Ashurst throughout Year 13 to provide you with a greater insight into life as a lawyer as well as guidance on taking the next steps into higher education or employment. You will also have the opportunity to take part in our

Access Law

programme and will receive ongoing support from the Social Impact team and representatives from Ashurst to support you with your future steps.

Eligibility criteria

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.

Additional criteria

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.

Important information

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.

Use of generative AI in your application

At Ashurst our vision is to outpace change. We encourage the responsible use of generative AI across the firm to explore opportunities, improve the ways we work, enhance the capabilities of our people, and create new client-facing services.



We recognise that AI, when used appropriately, can be a valuable tool for improving the creation and quality of your application. While we support the use of emerging technologies we expect that any AI altered content is thoroughly reviewed and appropriately edited prior to submission. This is important to uphold the ethical standards of honesty and authenticity expected by the firm.



Its use is only to complement your efforts to authentically and accurately represent yourself, your experience and your enthusiasm for the role, rather than replace your thoughts or create them for you.



We look forward to receiving your application. Please contact SocialImpact@ashurst.com if you have any questions. Apply now

Click 'Apply' to begin/continue your application