A group of students from the Law programmes at St Mary’s University, Twickenham recently visited the offices of top-tier law firm Charles Russell Speechlys in the City of London for a programme of bespoke employability workshops.
The students were invited by the firm’s Graduate Recruitment Manager Hayley Halvatzis, who gave tips on how to apply for training contracts and vacation placement schemes.
They also got to hear from current trainee solicitors and associates from Charles Russell Speechlys and rounded off the evening by networking in the firm’s boardroom, which boasts impressive views across London.
This was the second event of the semester that Charles Russell Speechlys had supported for the benefit of St Mary’s law students, after both Hayley and Associate Solicitor Krishna Mahajan joined the panel of speakers at the St Mary’s Law Forum in October.
Lecturer in Law at St Mary’s Lloyd Gash, said, “We were delighted to take Hayley up on this kind invitation to attend such an enjoyable and valuable event. The students benefitted enormously from the speakers’ insights into what life is like at a top-tier firm, and were inspired by the stories they heard. We value the relationship that has been built with Charles Russell Speechlys very highly indeed.”
Hayley Halvatzis said, “It was such a pleasure to welcome the students from St Mary’s University to Charles Russell Speechlys. I was impressed with how engaged they all were in the sessions and they had lots of questions for us which I hope we were able to answer. It is great for people at the Firm to be able to share their experiences and I hope that the students found it insightful. We look forward to continuing our relationship with St. Mary’s.”
The students had a great time, with one commenting, “It was a really interesting, informative and motivating day. I was able to get an inside-look into Charles Russell Speechlys as a firm and the people who are working there. It was amazing hearing the different stories about how and why the speakers made their decisions to become lawyers. I have now an idea what it means to work in a large law firm like this.”