Law Commission expands its diversity work shadowing scheme
The Law Commission has today relaunched its diversity work shadowing scheme, expanding it to cover both Commissioner, and lawyer roles.
For the law to be effective, it must be representative of the communities it covers. Therefore, we are keen to look to as broad and diverse a pool of talent as we possibly can to find our Commissioners and lawyers of the future.
The Law Commission is now offering its diversity work shadowing scheme to prospective Commissioners and lawyers, who may not previously have considered a career at the Commission. The scheme aims to increase the diversity of the Commission’s senior management and lawyers, by giving candidates an opportunity to learn more about the role, helping them to decide whether they wish to take their interest further – be it now, or in the future.
Sir Nicholas Green, Chair of the Law Commission said:
“The Law Commission has a positive story to tell about the work we have done to encourage diversity and inclusion across the organisation. However, there is always more that can be done, and we are keen to support those from under-represented groups at all stages of their careers.
Therefore, we are relaunching and expanding our work shadowing scheme. This will help us to ensure that our law reform recommendations reflect the differing experiences of communities across England and Wales.”
Initially, the scheme was focused on Commissioner appointments, but experience has shown that there is wider interest in legal roles at the Commission. We have therefore decided to enlarge the scheme to cover our team lawyer roles. We already run separate outreach schemes for those interested in our annual Research Assistant recruitment. Taken together, this means that we now undertake outreach work in all of our roles.
The diversity work shadowing scheme is aimed at those from under-represented groups in the law including:
- Women
- Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME)
- Socially or economically disadvantaged
- Those who consider themselves to have a disability under the Equality Act 2010
Commissioner and Lawyer Diversity Work Shadowing Scheme
The Law Commission is keen to develop opportunities for qualified lawyers to gain a greater understanding of our work. Work shadowing spans a range of opportunities, from a shorter more focused discussion to a fuller work shadowing experience. We will discuss options with you following receipt of your application.
In particular, we seek to provide opportunities for individuals who have the skills, experience and interest in working at the Commission in the longer term. Those applying will need to consider that the work shadowing ought to be mutually beneficial.
All participants will need to complete an application form. There are no formal selection criteria, however if there is high demand, we will prioritise applications from those with the most relevant skills and experience.
If you are interested in work shadowing at the Law Commission, click here for further information and to complete an application form.