AS All Star Awards

Best Mentor Preparation

Congratulations to Norton Rose Fulbright and Centrica for winning the “Best Mentor Preparation 2024 Award”. This award is in recognition of both organisations reaching a score of 96% in relation to how well prepared mentees felt their mentors were on these programmes. The average score here is 85% so both Norton Rose Fulbright and Centrica mentors have performed incredibly well.

Best Diversity Initiative

Congratulations to Stephenson Harwood LLP for winning the “Best Diversity Initiative 2024 Award”. This was awarded based on their unique Black Talent programme. The attainment of Black heritage applicants has improved considerably in recent years, and Aspiring Solicitors has worked with various partners on Black heritage schemes. However, the aforementioned programme is a clear standout in results. Launched in 2021, Stephenson Harwood LLP’s Black Talent programme has resulted in 9 training contract offers. 

Best Mentoring Scheme

Congratulations to Bristows for winning the “Best Mentoring Scheme 2024 Award”, in recognition of their STEM mentoring scheme. Not only did mentees thoroughly enjoy this scheme, 20% of the intake were offered training contracts. Two mentors in particular have received a 100% record of training contract offers for their mentees. 

Best Work Placement

Congratulations to Formula 1 for winning the “Best Work Placement 2024 Award”. This work placement award captures the superb efforts of Formula 1 to provide our members with an excellent in-house learning opportunity. Formula 1’s vacation scheme has enabled previous AS Members to secure training contracts at their dream firms.

Best Firm Specific Event

Congratulations to Kirkland & Ellis LLP for winning the “Best Firm Specific Event 2024 Award”, an award they also won last year. This was awarded based on AS member feedback, which averaged around 9/10 across all scores including usefulness, content, how it increases attendee’s understanding of the firm and its culture. AS Members have continually been impressed with Kirkland & Ellis for the quality of their events.

Best Vacation Scheme Performance

Congratulations to RPC for winning the “Best Vacation Scheme Performance 2024 Award”. Overall, 68% of vacation scheme offers at RPC have been made to AS Members, which evidences the firm’s commitment to hiring diverse talent.

All Star Individual

Congratulations to Aman Khaira of Vinson & Elkins for winning the “All Star Individual 2024 Award”. This year, we are recognising Aman as she consistently goes above and beyond in their role, is a pleasure to work with, and totally aligns with our vision of creating a meritocratic diverse legal profession.  

All Star Diversity Inspiration

Commended - Improvement in Recruiting Diverse Talent

Hill Dickinson has made impressive strides in recruiting diverse talent, with 56% of their trainees being AS Members in 2023 – 2024. For this achievement, Hill Dickinson is commended for the “Improvement in Recruiting Diverse Talent Award.”

Best Improvement in Recruiting Diverse Talent

All Star Performance in Recruiting Diverse Talent

Congratulations to Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP for winning the “All Star Performance in Recruiting Diverse Talent”. An incredible 71% of BCLP’s trainee solicitor cohort were AS Alumni this year!

Commended - Retention of Diverse Talent

Norton Rose Fulbright have received an impressive rate of retaining 46% of AS Alumni, hence the firm is highly commended for the “Retention of Diverse Talent Award”.

Commended - Retention of Diverse Talent

Taylor Wessing LLP have received an impressive rate of retaining 49% of AS Alumni, hence the firm is highly commended for the “Retention of Diverse Talent Award”.

All Star Best Retention of Diverse Talent

Congratulations to Mayer Brown International LLP for winning the “All Star Best Retention of Diverse Talent Award”; an award they also won last year. Following many years of outstanding results in consistently recruiting exceptional diverse talent, with 53% of their trainee solicitor cohort being AS Alumni.

All Star Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

Congratulations to Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, recognised at the AS Awards for “All Star Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion 2024”. This accolade has been awarded based on Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer’s consistent commitment to hiring diverse talent. Furthermore, the entire spectrum of talent development programmes organised by Herbert Smith Freehills, in particular their Disability Mentoring Scheme, makes the firm a deserved winner of this award.

Best Diversity Initiative

Congratulations to Mayer Brown International LLP for winning the “Best Diversity Initiative 2023 Award”. This was awarded based on their unique Accelerate coaching programme. This programme has assisted 30 trainees since October 2021, with each trainee receiving six hours of coaching in the run-up to, during and beyond their qualification. Trainees were given a space in which they could share their experiences from an inclusion perspective. They said the initiative led to increased confidence, higher levels of motivation, enhanced focus on career development and enhanced well-being. 

Best Mentoring Scheme

Congratulations to Ashurst & Societie Generale for winning the “Best Mentoring Scheme 2023 Award”. This was awarded as over 94% of mentees rated the content of the workshops as excellent, and all said they will stay in touch with their mentors. Members cited the dual view of both law firm and in-house representatives as very informative, one member said the “one-on-one mentoring has been both inspiring and motivating, and I will forever remember the invaluable advice given to me during this time”.

Highly Commended - Mentoring Scheme

In recognition of the impact this Scheme had on our AS members, our highly commended mentoring scheme is awarded to Barclays and Pinsent Masons. 

This Scheme was clearly designed with a lot of care, as mentees felt that the sessions were “tailored” to them and said that their mentors were “approachable and incredibly supportive”. In particular, one mentee mentioned that their “confidence in the application process and [their] own personal development grew after each mentoring session”.

Best Work Placement

Congratulations to Formula 1 for winning the “Best Work Placement 2023 Award”. The results from this legal work placement speak for themselves. 4/4 candidates secured training contracts following this placement, and one further candidate has no fewer than 6 vacation schemes this year. The feedback was exhilarating, like most of their work. One member shared that they “feel much more prepared and aware of the challenges of in-house legal teams and learnt many transferrable skills which I can apply to applications or private practice environments” whilst another cited how it also their “teamwork, problem-solving and public speaking skills, all essential for a commercial solicitor”.

Best Firm Event

Congratulations to Kirkland & Ellis for winning the “Best Firm Event 2023 Award”. This was awarded based on AS member results and feedback, overall candidate feedback of 9.5/10 and 9+ across all other feedback scores including usefulness, content, how it increases their understanding of the firm, and overall rating. Feedback from our AS members described this firm’s event as having, ‘…an excellent format… with the balance between interactive sessions and informative presentations, like the private equity focused workshop, making for an engaging and informative day, delivered by diverse contributors.

Highly Commended - Firm Events

As there were so many incredible insight days, we have chosen to award three organisations this year, with one overall winner and two highly commended runners up.

The highly commended awards go to: (i) Akin Gump for their very transparent and commercially-focused insight day and (ii) Jones Day, for their sector-focused approach and innovative Real-Estate workshop.  

All Star Individual

Congratulations to Alice Hill of Charles Russell Speechlys for winning the “All Star Individual 2023 Award”. This year we are recognising an individual who has worked at a cross-section of law firms over the last few years but whose innovative and committed approach to DE&I continues to grow. 

All Star Diversity Inspiration

Congratulations to Jeveta McDonald of bp for winning the “All Star Diversity Inspiration 2023 Award”. Jeveta has helped to create and establish one of the largest DE&I initiatives in the legal profession over the last two years, working tirelessly to ensure both Schemes have been a success. Her relentless commitment to meritocracy and importantly the future of the legal profession is unrivalled. In a recent video about the scheme, she shared a wonderful quote that we can all resonate with: “If you want to go fast, go alone if you want to go far, go together”.

All Star Performance in Recruiting Diverse Talent

Congratulations to Weil for winning the “All Star Performance in Recruiting Diverse Talent 2023 Award”. Awarded based on the results of the last recruitment cycle, Weil hired a record number of exceptional diverse candidates in 2022. The firm’s involvement in several AS initiatives including being one of the first to deliver a black heritage mentoring scheme, providing first-class speakers at the AS diversity events including industry leaders featured in social mobility documentaries on the BBC, as well as prominence at the VDLFs have been at the root of its outstanding results.

All Star Improvement in Recruiting Diverse Talent

Congratulations to PwC for winning the “All Star Improvement in Recruiting Diverse Talent 2023 Award”. This award recognised the AS partner firm that has made the most progress relative to its position one year ago. PwC’s future trainee intake is represented by an incredible 63% of AS Members. An achievement with added significance due to the drive and determination of the fee earners who have delivered these efforts alongside their day job as Solicitors.

Overall Best Retention of Diverse Talent

Congratulations to Mayer Brown International LLP for winning the “Overall Best Retention of Diverse Talent 2023 Award”. Following many years of outstanding results in recruiting exceptional diverse talent, it is amazing to see this Mayer Brown retain so many of those star AS performers that have shined during initiatives like the Commercial Awareness Competition. Their investment in a dedicated programme to support its trainees is an industry first, leading to the fantastic outcomes recognised by this award.

All Star Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

Congratulations to Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP for winning the “All Star Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion 2023 Award”. BCLP were the first firm to become involved in the AS Academy initiative which delivers 1-1 coaching support at each stage of their candidates’ careers from the moment they receive their vacation scheme offer, as a future trainee and during their training contract. Beyond this, their leadership team works together to progress their commitment and this is apparent not only in early careers but in other areas of their business.

All Star Performance in Recruiting Diverse Talent 2022

Congratulations to Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer for winning the “All Star Performance in Recruiting Diverse Talent 2022” Award. This was awarded based on the firm’s superb results in attracting diverse talent: 97 out of 196 vacation scheme candidates (49%) were AS Members (from an underrepresented group e.g. race/ethnicity, LGBTQ+, social mobility or had a disability or long-term health condition) with 41 out of 66 (62%) of trainees being AS Members.

All Star Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion 2022

Congratulations to BCLP, recognised at the AS Awards for “All Star Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion 2022”. This accolade has been awarded based on BCLP’s commitment to the entire spectrum of talent development programmes delivered by AS: coaching, mentoring, diversity events, the Commercial Awareness Competition initiative, anonymised diversity report and virtual diversity law fairs. Importantly, the firm’s involvement has led to 75% of vacation scheme candidates and 64% of training contract offers being diverse AS members.

All Star Improvement in Recruiting Diverse Talent 2022

Congratulations to Trowers & Hamlins for securing the “All Star Improvement in Recruiting Diverse Talent 2022” Award. 67% of the firm’s trainees were AS Members, a 40% increase from the previous year. This was the best progress recorded out of all AS Partner firms and AS are delighted for the team at the firm who’ve been working tirelessly to diversify their talent pool.

All Star Individual 2022 – Rebecca Worrall

Congratulations to Rebecca Worrall, Graduate Recruitment Manager at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, for being awarded the ‘AS All Star Individual’ prize for her outstanding contribution to supporting AS Members. Her efforts, whether through the launch of the HSF Disability Scheme, coordination of her team and colleagues within marketing campaigns and industry-wide AS initiatives or personal commitment to enabling AS Members to fulfil their potential, have been central to the firm’s outstanding results in hiring AS Members.

Overall Best Retention of Diverse Talent 2022

Long-term AS supporter Dechert LLP were the first firm to win a new prize “Best Retention of Diverse Talent 2022” that recognises the firm’s immense retention of AS Alumni that have trained at the firm, with 60% of the firm’s 2022 qualifying intake represented by AS Members. With a considerable number of AS Alumni currently training at the firm and set to begin their training in 2023, the firm is confident that this will become a long-term trend.

Diversity Inspiration 2022 – Lyndell Beguinua

Lyndell has been instrumental in leading his employer’s efforts in supporting AS Members. As a result, several mentees have had unrivalled insights and work shadowing experiences at one of the world’s leading tech companies. We are delighted to award Lyndell the “Diversity Inspiration 2022” Award.

Best Diversity Initiative 2022

Channel 4 are committed to delivering opportunities to UK regions and have been incredibly successful in ensuring AS Members secure legal opportunities in regional locations and recorded the best feedback from candidates involved in diversity initiatives, they were therefore awarded the “Best Diversity Initiative 2022” prize at the AS Awards.

Best Work Placement 2022

Meta won the “Best Work Placement” prize at the AS Awards for their UK-Ireland initiative supporting AS Members. During AS and Meta’s 3 year partnership, the Meta team have worked tirelessly to deliver a unique hybrid work experience and mentoring scheme that has resulted in 80% of mentees securing roles in the legal industry, with 60% offered training contracts at Hogan Lovells, BCLP and Allen & Overy.

Best Mentoring Scheme 2022

One of the most hotly contested prizes of the evening, “Best Mentoring Scheme 2022”, with 25 different organisations vying for the award, saw BP and Norton Rose Fulbright emerge victorious for their paired mentoring scheme. This initiative provided mentees with the dual perspective of in-house and private practice lawyers, involving very senior professionals from both organisations who will continue to be involved for its 2023 programme.