The event, held at the firm’s London office, saw LSB board member Michael Smyth introduce participants of the Simmons Young Talent Programme, along with experts from across the legal services and legal charity sectors, to speak about the importance of legal education in empowering the average person to interact with their rights.
In support of this ambition, the LSB launched a new report; ‘Reshaping legal services to meet people’s needs: an analysis of legal capability’, which found that more than a third (36%) of people have low legal confidence, thus underlining the need for more widely accessible legal education.
Speakers from Simmons included two alumni of the firm’s Young Talent Programme; Rianna Smith and Rebecca Rumble. This programme is a based on a partnership with Frederick Bremer school that began in 2012 and offers participants a seven- year commitment of support from the firm which includes access to work experience, mentoring and paid work, and a university bursary to support their study. Rebecca now works in the firm’s responsible business team, while Rianna is completing the final year of her law degree.
The expert panel comprised of Enver Soloman, Chief Executive Officer of Just for Kids, Kate Briscoe, Co-Founder of LegalBeagles and Michael Olatokun, Research Fellow, Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, all of whom spoke passionately about the importance of legal education in understanding the legal implications of life events that may on the surface appear to have no legal significance.
Commenting on the event, senior partner Colin Passmore said:
“I am pleased that the LSB chose Simmons to co-host the launch of their important new research. The fact that a third of people have low legal confidence suggests a fundamental gap in legal understanding and the routes of redress available when these rights are overlooked. As a firm, Simmons remains committed to its Young Talent Programme and its Access to Justice scheme as ways of improving the accessibility and availability of legal expertise and insight.”