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Amongst the first partnerships Flex Legal struck up for [our Flex Trainee scheme](/hire/flex-trainee) was with the fantastic [Next Fifteen Communications Group PLC](https://www.next15.com/). Next 15 is a global marketing communications business, consisting of 24 subsidiary agencies. In total, they employ over 3,500 people, across a staggering 50 offices, in 15 countries.

Having previously worked with Next15 for the [“on demand”](/why) side of our business, and knowing that we share corporate values, we were really keen to partner with them again for Flex Trainee.

We approached [Mark Sanford](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-sanford-8b269813/) (pictured), General Counsel and Company Secretary at Next 15, when we [launched the scheme last year](/blog/flex-trainee-tomorrows-legal-industry-today). There was a clear alignment in our ethos and vision for the scheme, and we were thrilled when Next 15 agreed to welcome [Afroditi Griva](https://www.linkedin.com/in/afroditi-griva-594167104/) into their legal team as a Flex Trainee. Here’s how it all went down:

## How did Flex Trainee help Next 15 find an SQE Trainee?

The launch of the Solicitor’s Qualifying Exam was greeted with [mixed responses](https://www.legalfutures.co.uk/blog/cutting-to-the-chase-on-the-sqe) from the wider legal industry. We saw the potential of a massive force for good. Specifically, we saw a clear parallel between the QWE requirement of the SQE, and our existing processes for pairing legal talent and legal teams.

By setting up a new arm of the company for Flex Trainee, we began to seek out partners. Our hope was that by taking on the time-consuming admin of identifying exceptional and diverse young talent, we could make the process of taking on an SQE trainee tremendously simple.

Given how important diversity is to Next 15, and how they share our commitment to improving social mobility within the industry, they made for perfect early partners for the scheme.

Next 15 were incredibly receptive to the programme, and felt it really aligned with the social mobility mission of their organisation. “*As a company we have a culture of inclusivity and diversity. I love the way the trainees were selected and this met with the ethos of our company*” says Mark. We subsequently placed the incomparable Flex Trainee [Afroditi Griva](https://www.linkedin.com/in/afroditi-griva-594167104/) with Next 15.

## How does the Flex Trainee “readiness programme” work?

The secret ingredient to Flex Trainee’s success is our readiness programme, which developed in the formative days of the scheme. Our partners and Trainees had placed an enormous amount of trust in us, so we were incredibly committed to making the early Flex Trainee placements a success.

To this end, we tasked [Sophie Gould](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-gould-95832316/), Flex Legal’s Head of Learning and Development, to design a bespoke “readiness programme”. This would ensure that each Flex Trainee could make meaningful contributions to their organisations from day one. She created a rigorous 4 week training programme, built around the hard and soft workplace skills a legal professional needs to succeed.

## How has Next 15’s Flex Trainee experience been so far?

Next15 are incredibly pleased with the Flex Trainee experience thus far, and recently extended Afroditi’s placement for another year. Afroditi has fully embedded herself into Next15’s team, and has taken on routine tasks such as reviewing commercial contracts for sub-brands, drafting settlement agreements, and updating post-acquistion templates. She has even stepped up as an “acting GC” when wider team members have been away on holiday.

When asked to name a standout moment from her Next 15 experience so far, Afroditi said “*When I drafted a three way influencer agreement between one of our brands, their client which was one of Europe’s largest cinema operators and a famous actor (Golden Globe recipient!) and was involved in heavy negotiations between our brand’s client and the influencer’s agent around the retention of IP*”.

**Additional Resources:**

* [Hire a Flex Trainee](/hire/flex-trainee) - If this post has you contemplating how the Flex Trainee scheme might help your legal team, then arrange a call with our team today to learn more.
* [Apply to be a Flex Trainee](https://flexlegalltd.recruitee.com/o/flex-trainee-2023) - If you’re an aspiring lawyer from an under-represented background, then read the full details of how to apply to the Flex Trainee scheme on [our Recruitee page](https://flexlegalltd.recruitee.com/).
* [Tomorrow’s legal industry, today](/blog/flex-trainee-tomorrows-legal-industry-today) - Discover how Flex Trainee can help you to enhance your in-house team with a talented, deserving future lawyer.

HIRE A FLEX TRAINEE

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Next 15 logo

Flex Trainee: how Next 15 found the perfect SQE trainee

Flex Trainee: Q&A with Mark Sanford, GC at Next15

[Oscar Davies](https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscar-davies-33540589/) is a practicing barrister at [Lamb Chambers](https://www.lambchambers.co.uk/), with a broad practice area covering areas such as commercial, employment, property, and much more. Oscar made headlines last year when they became the UK's first barrister to publicly identify as non-binary, and use the gender neutral “Mx” as an honorific at their chambers. Since then, Oscar has become something of an LGBT+ legal icon, and was recently named in the British LGBT Awards as making a [Top 10 Outstanding Contribution to LGBT+ Life](https://britishlgbtawards.com/top-10-outstanding-contributors-to-lgbt-life-2022/).

[Louise Anderson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/louiseanderson2/) has a thought-provoking discussion with Oscar, which covers Oscar's journey to the Bar, the manic reality of life as a practising barrister, why legal TV shows often aren't the best representation of legal work, and the steadily improving diversity within the wider legal sector.

This episode is also available on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/4IBW1WsLXlDXXu6IN7YRHH?si=a58d472626e840f9), [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/life-and-diversity-at-the-bar-w-oscar-davies/id1572322390?i=1000559009332), and [all good podcasting platforms](https://humansoflaw.buzzsprout.com/1799939/10522553-life-and-diversity-at-the-bar-w-oscar-davies).

**Additional Resources:**

* [All Humans of Law episodes](https://flex.legal/blog/categories/humans-of-law-podcast) - our podcast is a dedicated place for us to explore all kinds of different human experiences within the legal world. If you enjoyed this episode, try another!
* [Flex Legal on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/flex-legal-limited/) - the best place to keep up with the latest from us is to give us a follow over on LinkedIn. Come over the Flex side of life (but on a professional social platform).
* [Flex Legal on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/flexondemand/) - if LinkedIn isn’t your thing, then our Instagram might just be for you. Our Instagram is full of unique and junior-focused content, so swing by and give us a follow!

Oscar Davies

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Life and diversity at the Bar with Oscar Davies

In recent years, law firms have been increasingly pressured to attract a more diverse pool of young lawyers. One of the fundamental motivations behind the introduction of the centralised SQE assessments was to address this issue. This blog article investigates what the SQE means for diversity and considers the recent developments in this area.

## **How diverse is the legal profession now?**

As a starting point, it’s useful to look at the SRA’s most recent (September 2019)[ diversity statistics](https://www.sra.org.uk/sra/equality-diversity/key-findings/diverse-legal-profession/), to really highlight the problem that the SQE is aiming to address. 3% of all lawyers are disabled; this is compared to 13% of the UK general workforce. In addition, only 21% of all lawyers are Black, Asian or from a minority ethnic group (BAME). This can be broken down as follows: 15% are Asian; 3% are Black; 2% have multiple ethnicities; and 1% are from other ethnic groups. The lack of diversity can be further highlighted by the fact that 21% of lawyers attended a fee-paying school; this is compared to 7% of the general population. It is clear from these statistics that more needs to be done to open up the legal profession to all members of society, to ensure that the legal community truly reflects the people it serves.

## **The SQE Pilot Studies: a cause for concern?**

The suggestion that the SQE would aid diversity in the legal profession encountered a significant obstacle during its initial pilot studies. It was found that White candidates generally outperformed their BAME counterparts in assessments of Functional Legal Knowledge and other skill sets that were proposed to form part of SQE1. This result threatened to undermine the efficacy of the SQE in addressing diversity as employers are likely to consider SQE results in their hiring process. If White candidates perform better than their BAME peers in the SQE, they will also perform better in the job market meaning issues with diversity will remain.

Shortly after the SQE pilot studies, [adversity and inclusion risk assessment published by the SRA](https://www.sra.org.uk/globalassets/documents/sra/equality-diversity/sqe-edi-risk-assessment-may-2020.pdf?version=49f457) stated that the methods used in the SQE cannot be seen as ‘intrinsically biased’ and the outcomes are equal to those ‘seen in the current LPC system’. But if the outcomes of the SQE are equal to those in the LPC system, how will the SQE have any positive effect on diversity at all?

## **What are the benefits of the SQE for diversity?**

The main way in which the SQE aims to tackle the lack of diversity that we currently see is by removing the gamble of the LPC. At the moment, there is a significant imbalance in the number of students passing the LPC and available training contracts, meaning an unhelpful ‘bottleneck’ phenomenon has occurred. This means many aspiring lawyers are forced to find around £14,000 to fund the LPC, with no guarantee that they will even be able to qualify and see a return on their investment. Finding this amount of money is a struggle for anyone, particularly those from lower-income households, meaning a number of highly intelligent minds are excluded from the profession. These fees also create a high level of risk for those who are required to take out loans to fund the course.

The SQE removes this uncertainty by allowing SQE candidates to qualify as a solicitor with 2 years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE). QWE is extremely flexible; it must simply be grounded in legal work and provide candidates with the opportunity to develop some of the [SRA competences](https://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/resources/cpd/competence-statement/), which broadly relate to areas of legal knowledge and legal skills. QWE can be completed on a full time or part time basis, and can be paid or voluntary. So, the SQE puts the control back with the candidates; if they cannot secure a training contract (or the SQE equivalent), they can look elsewhere for paralegal roles that will allow them to qualify.

The minimum costs of the SQE are also substantially lower than the LPC. The SQE examinations, which are technically the only essential expenditure associated with the SQE, cost around £4,000. By contrast, the average price of the LPC is a huge £14,000. The difference between these two routes is reduced when you factor in the price of SQE preparatory courses, such as those provided by [Barbri](https://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/resources/cpd/competence-statement/) and the [College of Legal Practice](https://www.collegalpractice.com/sqe?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=PPC&utm_campaign=FY21-CoLP-SQE-Google&gclid=CjwKCAiAvriMBhAuEiwA8Cs5lTIgvj3gyEoyCcr6IkJBGxD3wL-oj3ATSqMMWVfMSlwFWTsHzgqhnRoCVlgQAvD_BwE). However, the considerable variability in these prep course fees means the SQE still has the potential to be a much cheaper option for students.

There is also much to be said for the standardisation of the SQE. Previously, the LPC examinations were set by individual course providers. By contrast, the SQE is administered by the SRA’s partner, Kaplan, meaning all candidates are assessed in a consistent way. This means that there should be less emphasis placed on where candidates completed their SQE preparation and any previous education or opportunities.

[The report by the Bridge Group](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c18e090b40b9d6b43b093d8/t/5f0d4e7ca1941063f2d63f97/1594707581191/SQE_BridgeGroup_July20_FINAL.pdf), who specialise in diversity and social equality, supports the idea that the SQE could have a beneficial impact on diversity. The report states that the SQE has the potential to increase candidates’ choice when it comes to legal training. They also hypothesised that costs may be driven down by competitive pressure. However, Nicholas Miller, the Chief Executive of the Bridge Group, did acknowledge that ‘there is no silver bullet to address diversity in the legal profession’ and that the success of the SQE in addressing diversity issues will ‘depend on how much legal business and training providers embrace the opportunities around these reforms’.

## **Recent Developments**

[The Law Society has recently called on the government](https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/society-pushes-government-for-sqe-loan-scheme/5110032.article) to formulate a loan system specifically for students undertaking the SQE. They warned that if no loan system is devised, candidates from less affluent backgrounds could encounter a ‘significant barrier’ to entering the legal profession. This would have significant implications for diversity and mean that the issues faced are nearly identical to those associated with the LPC.

The Law Society also explained that the absence of a loan system would prevent smaller law firms from being able to take on aspiring lawyers, which is one of the key benefits of the flexibility that the SQE offers. Smaller law firms may not be able to cover the costs of SQE preparatory courses, meaning candidates will continue to be drawn to large City law firms. This will mean the best talent remains with these firms, and limits candidates’ choice in relation to which firms they apply to. Whilst large firms may be the desired environment for some, others may prefer the intimacy and responsibility that comes with working at a smaller firm. A government-backed loan system would ensure that candidates have a choice and can pursue their careers in the environment that is right for them.

Although the details of this loan system would have to be considered further, the Law Society has suggested several potential avenues, such as use of the apprenticeship levy in a more flexible manner or an extension of an existing loan scheme. Regardless of these details, it is clear that some consideration of SQE prep course funding must take place to ensure that the SQE has the desired effect on diversity in the legal sector and helps this sector to reflect the community it serves.

**Additional Resources:**

* [The Flex Legal SQE Journal](/sqe-qwe-journal) - Are you interested in recording your QWE, or helping your team record theirs? You’re in luck - the Flex Legal Journal was built for exactly that.
* [SQE FAQs](/blog/sqe-faqs) - Still not sure about the ins-and-outs of the SQE? We’ve got you. Our comprehensive SQE FAQs cover all the big questions you’ve got about the SQE and how it works.
* [What we know about City Law Firms’ transition to the SQE](/blog/what-we-know-about-city-law-firms-transition-to-the-sqe) - Legal qualification is in a state of flux. Big firms are moving away from traditional Training Contracts, and this is what we know about it.

  [](https://flex.legal/blog?category=Flex%20Paralegals)

Flex Trainee: how Next 15 found the perfect SQE trainee

Life and diversity at the Bar with Oscar Davies

Will the SQE affect diversity in the legal profession?