FOUR graduates and three school-leavers are the latest trainees to join Bradford and Leeds law firm Gordons.

Libby Hanson, Owen Heeley, Merissa Neil and Aarti Parmar have begun two-year stints as trainees, while Joanne Beevor, Albert Bell and Ciaran Mallon have joined the firm’s ground-breaking apprenticeship programme.

The trainees will complete four six-month seats in a selection of Gordons’ departments. They will receive close supervision and work alongside experienced lawyers, while receiving comprehensive training and support.

They are the firm’s fourth annual intake into Gordons’ self-funded programme, which was the first of its kind in the legal sector offering legal careers for bright school leavers.

It enables apprentices to become chartered legal executive lawyers, through practical experience and study, over five years. The firm pays the apprentices’ salaries and funds their course fees, meaning they qualify without student debt.

Gordons said that, unlike similar schemes operated by some competitors, its apprentices have the chance to achieve the highest standard qualification requiring degree level ability.

Paul Ayre, Gordons managing partner, said: “Our reputation means we receive well over 100 applications for each training contract we’re able to offer. We’re therefore demanding, appoint only candidates able to become involved in client work straight away and displaying the qualities, attitudes and personalities needed to be future partners.

“We developed our apprenticeship scheme because we believe strongly that entry to the profession should be based on capability, not cash or contacts. Our judgment that there was a pool of talent leaving school each year that was going untapped by the legal profession, because it simply couldn’t commit to the cost of a university education or overcome the other obstacles, has been truly vindicated.

“All our new recruits are to be congratulated on coming through hugely competitive and rigorous selection processes. Their appointments show our confidence in their ability to become qualified lawyers and progress their careers to higher levels with us.”

l THE first in a planned series of specialist industry seminars has been hosted by Bradford-based pneumatics specialist Thorite at its training academy.

Engineering and production staff from the food and beverage sector were updated on the most efficient production and maintenance of food grade compressed air, which is widely used to power processing machinery.

Subjects covered included delivering the most cost effective compressed air system, achieving national, international and customer quality standards, understanding current legislation and complying with it together with health and safety requirements for the food and beverage sector.

Further seminars are in the pipeline, aimed at different industries, which will focus on energy savings and the design and modification of control elements in compressed air systems.