Dundas & Wilson has today joined twenty-two other leading UK law firms to launch PRIME, a profession-wide
undertaking to give fair access to quality work experience for young people from less privileged backgrounds.

Their decision to join PRIME further commits and strengthens their focus on Education & young people - an area which forms part of their CSR Community Investment programme.

Supported by the Law Society of England and Wales, the Law Society of Scotland, the Law Society of Northern Ireland and The Sutton Trust, PRIME commits member firms to provide work experience which gives an insight into the range of careers available in the legal profession and the potential routes into those careers.

Member firms will provide an agreed number of work experience places that meet a series of minimum standards:

Firms must provide a number of places that is not less than 50% of the number of training contracts offered each year. The target for the profession is to provide 2,500 places by 2015, although firms who have already signed up must achieve their own individual target by July 2013.

Minimum standards include at least 30-35 hours of work experience per place and a commitment to developing key business and personal skills in areas such as oral and written presentation, networking and negotiation. Firms must offer a way to maintain contact after work experience has ended as well as provide financial assistance during the programme.

PRIME also commits law firms to provide work experience which gives an insight into the range of careers available in the legal profession (for lawyers and non-lawyers) and the potential routes into those careers.

Dundas & Wilson Chairman, David Hardie said: “The firm is delighted to participate in the PRIME initiative as a founding member. We have for many years offered work placements to young learners to allow them to gain an insight to the careers available in the legal profession and more particularly at a large commercial law firm. In recent years we have added more focus to our approach by developing our Education & Young People programme, as part of our overall commitment to CSR, that facilitates improved access to less privileged young people and ensures a more rounded and quality work placement. Our membership of PRIME is a natural extension of that and will allow us to increase the number of places that we can provide and the quality of the work experience on offer.”

The founding members of PRIME are: Addleshaw Goddard, Allen & Overy, Arthur Cox, Ashurst, Blake Lapthorn Brodies, Clifford Chance, CMS Cameron McKenna, Dickinson Dees, DLA Piper, Dundas & Wilson, Eversheds Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Herbert Smith, Hogan Lovells, Linklaters, Maclay, Murray & Spens, McGrigors Norton Rose, Pinsent Masons, Shepherd & Wedderburn, Slaughter and May and Trowers & Hamlins.