Unscrupulous firms which pass off full-time jobs as unpaid work experience will be in breach of new guidelines introduced this week.
The best practice guidance published by the Law Society recommends that law firms providing work experience placements of more than a month should pay at least the minimum wage. In all cases, reasonable expenses incurred by participants should be covered.
It remains to be seen whether the bottom feeders which routinely exploit those seeking work experience will change their ways. Firms are under no obligation to follow the guidelines and the Law Society has no powers to enforce them. A spokesman for the SRA told RollOnFriday that work experience placements, "are not within our remit as they are already covered by employment law. Our role is to protect the public interest".
And there are plenty of firms taking the piss. Last year RollOnFriday exposed shameless Kawa, Guimaraes & Associates Solicitors, which attempted to charge students for the privilege of sitting in the corner and watching its lawyers work. In 2014, a survey by the Junior Lawyers Division of the Law Society (JLD) found that of the 79% of respondents who had undertaken unpaid work experience, 23% worked for over six months and 3% of those had toiled for free for more than two years.
Eversheds associate and chair of the JLD Leanne Maund said, "A short period of unpaid work experience can be extremely helpful to those seeking a training contract and firms should not be deterred from offering this where appropriate. However, there is a difference between circumstances in which a prospective trainee is gaining a valuable insight into an organisation for a short period of time, and those where an individual is simply working unpaid".
Spotted some dodgy work experience? Tip off RollOnFriday.
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The best practice guidance published by the Law Society recommends that law firms providing work experience placements of more than a month should pay at least the minimum wage. In all cases, reasonable expenses incurred by participants should be covered.
It remains to be seen whether the bottom feeders which routinely exploit those seeking work experience will change their ways. Firms are under no obligation to follow the guidelines and the Law Society has no powers to enforce them. A spokesman for the SRA told RollOnFriday that work experience placements, "are not within our remit as they are already covered by employment law. Our role is to protect the public interest".
And there are plenty of firms taking the piss. Last year RollOnFriday exposed shameless Kawa, Guimaraes & Associates Solicitors, which attempted to charge students for the privilege of sitting in the corner and watching its lawyers work. In 2014, a survey by the Junior Lawyers Division of the Law Society (JLD) found that of the 79% of respondents who had undertaken unpaid work experience, 23% worked for over six months and 3% of those had toiled for free for more than two years.
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After 50 years loyal work experience, Elsie was given her own desk |
Eversheds associate and chair of the JLD Leanne Maund said, "A short period of unpaid work experience can be extremely helpful to those seeking a training contract and firms should not be deterred from offering this where appropriate. However, there is a difference between circumstances in which a prospective trainee is gaining a valuable insight into an organisation for a short period of time, and those where an individual is simply working unpaid".
Spotted some dodgy work experience? Tip off RollOnFriday.
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