Blake Morgan has hosted the first joint event for the Legal Wales Foundation and Lord Edmund Davies Legal Education Trust (LEDLET), for alumni of the annual LEDLET summer scheme. The event aimed to further equip beneficiaries of the scheme with the knowledge and tools necessary for success in the legal field.
The 2024 conference at Blake Morgan marks the first alumni event in Wales since the launch of LEDLET’s partnership with the Legal Wales Foundation. The event featured interactive sessions on commercial awareness and career pathways.
The event brought together 23 alumni who had previously participated in the summer scheme run by LEDLET in London, and Legal Wales in Cardiff. The scheme offers invaluable hands-on experience to young people from Wales aspiring to enter the legal profession, but without connections in the sector to help them.
LEDLET, an independent charity established in 2013, partnered with the Legal Wales Foundation – a Welsh voluntary organisation that promotes understanding of the law of Wales – in 2020, doubling the number of summer scheme places on offer.
The summer scheme provides young potential law students insight into the legal industry through placements with leading law firms, the Senedd, and barristers’ chambers in London and Cardiff. The two organisations cover all expenses, reflecting the scheme’s social mobility aims.
On the success of the first alumni conference, Elisabeth Jones, former Chief Legal Adviser to the Senedd and Secretary of the Legal Wales Foundation, said:
“We were incredibly impressed by the high quality of the programme that Blake Morgan created for us, and by the firm’s generosity in dedicating the time and expertise of their legal and HR professionals to participate in the event.
“Blake Morgan has been a valued partner of LEDLET and the Legal Wales Foundation for many years, and their support in hosting this event reflects our shared commitment to developing the next generation of Welsh legal professionals. We look forward to strengthening this relationship in the years to come.”
Alumni events offer former participants ongoing support and professional development as they continue their journeys into legal careers, encouraging them to maintain their network and ‘pay it forward’ by supporting future participants as they progress.
Paula Kathrens, Partner and Training Principal at Blake Morgan, commented:
“We were thrilled to host this landmark alumni event in partnership with LEDLET and the Legal Wales Foundation. Seeing so many enthusiastic young people reengage with the programme and take steps forward in their legal careers was genuinely inspiring.
“It was also great to hear attendees highlighting the scheme’s positive impact on their career paths. Blake Morgan has long been committed to supporting the next generation of Welsh legal professionals, and we look forward to continuing this important work with LEDLET and the Legal Wales Foundation.”
Matt Evans, Partner at Hugh James in Cardiff, and Treasurer of LEDLET, added:
“We are immensely proud of how far our alumni have come since taking part in our summer scheme, and this event provided a fantastic opportunity for them to reconnect, share their experiences, and build on the foundations they’ve laid.
“The alumni event represents an important building block in LEDLET’s mission to open doors to the legal profession while offering continued support as our participants progress through their careers.”
For more information on the LEDLET summer scheme, including donation enquiries to the charity, click here.
For more information on Legal Wales Foundation, click here, and also its annual conference (which raises funds for the LEDLET programme), this year hosted on Friday 11 October 2024, click here.
