Poor old Hogan Lovells.

Two years ago the firm launched its "Ladder to Law" programme. The scheme is intended to widen access to the profession by providing open days and work experience to kids from inner City state schools. It's clearly a very good thing. When it works...

Yesterday morning one young student who was due to turn up never made it to the induction. Cue frantic calls from HR, the girl's parents and the girl's school.

Eventually she was found: setting up coffee and biscuits in Hogan Lovell's meeting rooms. Apparently she'd been wandering around lost. A temporary catering manager bumped into her, assumed that she must have been at the firm to do some waitressing work, snapped her up and packed her off to the meeting rooms.








Work experience at Hogan Lovells yesterday













A mortified spokeswoman said that "the student is one of a number spending the week with us on a work experience placement to see what life as a lawyer is like. There were some  crossed wires that were very rapidly uncrossed and we have apologised to the student and their parents for the confusion. An internal investigation is under way and we are taking steps to ensure this can never happen again."