Social Mobility is an essential part of
Responsible Business.
In 2022 we established Social Mobility as a distinct pillar of our DEI agenda under our Responsible Business structure, to ensure greater visibility of the work we're doing in this field.
A wide-ranging brief
Our work around social mobility includes our Early Careers Programme, an online virtual work experience programme, our work with schools and universities, including partnerships with Zero Gravity and The School Outreach Company, as well as our Apprenticeship programmes.
Our mission
We’re dedicated to inspiring young people to unlock their potential as well as widening access to the legal profession. This mission often sees us collaborating with other businesses both within the legal sector and beyond, to provide young people with as many opportunities as possible while also supporting their transition into the world of work.
Social mobility in action
In 2022, we began working with Strive – a social mobility charity that sources and develops talent from intersectionally diverse, socially mobile, and under-represented backgrounds, helping them realise their full potential. We’re also proud sponsors of the Supernova programme – their flagship scheme supporting aspiring commercial lawyers seeking vacation schemes and training contracts.
For our Early Talent recruitment (graduates and apprentices), we use the Rare Contextual Recruitment System (CRS), which helps us understand the context behind a candidate’s achievements and identify top talent from the widest pool.
We also run workshops ahead of each stage in our Early Talent recruitment process, guiding candidates through assessment days, interviews, and work placements to help them feel confident and prepared, and to give them the chance to ask our team any questions.
How we're making a difference
Through our work with schools and other educational organisations, we’re able to target areas of social mobility cold spots, or non-selective state schools with lower progression rates to further or higher education and above-average levels of pupils eligible for school meals.
To support this work, we currently partner with Envision, providing business mentors to support young people, offering valuable insight into the world of work, as well as tackling real-life social issues.
Another exciting development is our collaboration with The School Outreach Company this year. They've mapped every secondary school and college across the UK and can filter the results across numerous data sets. This allows them to target communities with pinpoint accuracy, adjusting the level of provision and support based on specific variables, enabling targeted engagement on a school-by-school basis.
Our goal is to introduce young people to the legal industry at an earlier stage, highlighting that the industry is open and accessible to them so they can make informed decisions about their education and future careers. We are working with around 100 schools based on proximity to our offices and are lined up to deliver 16 in-person events across all office locations (2-3 events per office) in the 2025-26 academic year.
We are also partnering with Zero Gravity – with the aim to identify, upskill, and recruit socially mobile talent. Zero Gravity connects us with a network of students from low-opportunity areas, and we can provide resources and programs, including mentorship opportunities, to help students develop the skills and confidence needed to succeed in the workforce.
This links nicely to our partnership with Forage, who we’ve worked with since 2022. Forage provides a programme aimed at Year 12 and 13 students, providing virtual work experience to young people who might be considering a career in the legal sector.
Alongside our valued partnerships, we’re proud to be a founding Cornerstone Employer in the West of England — and currently serve as Chair. We work closely with the West of England Combined Authority, the Local Enterprise Partnership, the Careers & Enterprise Company, and 11 other employers across the region, including Plymouth and Torbay, to support local schools and colleges with careers education. This is a great way to inspire future generations and encourage new businesses to support their local schools and colleges.
As a founding member of the West of England Legal Early Careers Network, we collaborate with a number of law firms and other legal organisations to provide school outreach activities across the region. The ultimate vision of this work is to ensure that every school and college in the area benefits from the access and support of a law firm.
Our apprenticeship programmes
Creating alternative routes to qualification is extremely important to us and is an area with the potential to make a significant impact. We offer a variety of apprenticeship programmes designed to provide valuable work experience and qualifications through a combination of paid, on-the-job learning and dedicated study time. These programmes are available for both legal and business support roles.
Legal apprenticeships
Business services apprenticeships
First launched in 2016 in Newcastle, our Solicitor Apprenticeship Programme has since been rolled out in Bristol, Southampton and Plymouth.
This six-year programme allows individuals to qualify as solicitors without the associated costs of going to university. Apprentices work full-time, using 20% of their time for 'off the job' training. They obtain a degree in law and experience different practice areas while building a work portfolio. The programme includes support from WBD and The University of Law.
We also offer apprenticeships within various support functions, including HR, Administration, IT, Facilities, Risk and Best Practice, and Finance.
These apprenticeships typically range from 12 to 36 months and include in-built qualifications relevant to the specific role. Apprentices receive the same support from WBD as well as regular check-in meetings with a designated skills coach.
Wider support
We’re proud signatories of the Social Mobility Pledge which encourages organisations to become a force for good by putting social mobility at the heart of everything they do.
We're also founding members of PRIME, an alliance of law firms and in-house legal teams determined to improve access to, and socio-economic diversity within, the legal profession.
Celebrating our wins
Recent successes include:
- Being recognised in the inaugural 2024 Social Mobility List for Early Talent Recruitment Programme of the Year
- Our pioneering apprenticeship programme supporting one of the first apprentices in the North East to qualify via the Solicitor Apprenticeship route
- A Gold Award from The 5% Club, recognising our contribution to the continued development of all our employees through “Earn and Learn” schemes like our apprenticeships and training contract programme
- Our initiative in the West of England with other law firms was awarded the 2022 Community Engagement Award in the Bristol Law Society Awards. It was also shortlisted in the Best Social Mobility category in the People in Law Awards.
"Improving social mobility is a core element of our commitment to Responsible Business and DEI at Womble Bond Dickinson, and we're proud to be featured in the inaugural 2024 Social Mobility List.
"We’ve developed a range of programmes and initiatives designed to open up new routes into the legal profession and improve social mobility for people who want to pursue a career in law.
"Through our successful apprenticeship programme, the networks we’re part of and the links we’ve developed with local schools as part of our work in the community, we aim to enhance opportunities, improve career education and develop the skills required for our future workforce."
Sam Lee, UK Head of Recruitment at Womble Bond Dickinson
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