Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance announces support for Advocacy Year

Clifford Chance has announced its support for Advocacy Year, a graduate scheme set up by award-winning charity Just for Kids Law. The scheme trains graduates to work as community-based youth advocates for a year, working with under-supported children and young people to help protect their legal rights and improve their lives. Clifford Chance will provide financial support to the programme to allow it to create an additional trainee advocate place this year, taking the total number from three to four. Clifford Chance will also provide mentoring for the successful applicants and the firm's managing partner Matthew Layton will sit on the charity's advisory board, helping to guide and support the scheme as it grows.

The scheme, which is now in its second year, recruits graduates considering a career in law to serve as Trainee Youth Advocates, receiving a month of intensive training before spending ten months working alongside the charity's outreach and in-house legal teams. This involves directly advocating for young people who suffer from multiple and complex issues including involvement in the youth justice system, in care, immigration issues, school exclusions or homelessness.

Matthew Layton said, "At Clifford Chance, we are committed to supporting the communities where we do business by widening access to justice, education and finance. We're therefore delighted to be able to support Advocacy Year with expertise and experience from across our business, including graduate recruitment and communications, as well as provide the financial support that makes their work possible. It's a pleasure to see the programme training aspiring young legal minds, but also putting those skills to great use, helping some of the most desperate and disadvantaged young people in our community to get their lives back on track."

Shauneen Lambe, Just for Kids Law CEO and Advocacy Year Lead, said, "During their time with Advocacy Year, each advocate will work on up to 100 cases. Clifford Chance’s funding enables us to make a tangible difference to the lives of many young people. After the great success of our inaugural year, we're eager to work with all parts of the legal industry, both law firms and in-house, to expand the programme to develop more graduates and reach more young and vulnerable people who are in desperate need of help.”