Hogan Lovells has awarded elite para-athlete and world champion Sophie Hahn an athletic scholarship, the first ever to be offered by the firm.

Alongside her final training for Rio 2016 Sophie will spend time at Hogan Lovells in London over the next five months, benefitting from a bespoke programme of training and mentoring designed to help her build relationships, networks, confidence and her personal brand. This will include training on social and traditional media, and personal impact training, based on Hogan Lovells' internal people development programmes. Sophie will put these skills into practice at key corporate events hosted by the firm.

Hogan Lovells will also provide Sophie with financial assistance to support her non-performance related expenses.

Sophie said:

"I’m so fortunate to be receiving this support through the scholarship. I have done some work with Hogan Lovells before and I know how amazing they are at training people and I have learnt so much already. It’s an opportunity that money can’t buy for me! I can’t wait to be back in London and to meet the great people who will be mentoring me on the road to Rio."

Sophie Hahn

The scholarship is the latest step in Hogan Lovells' continuing commitment to para-sport in the UK. Hogan Lovells has a well-established relationship with the British Paralympics Association (BPA), to which the firm is Official Legal Services Provider and a partnership with Paralympic, world, European and Commonwealth Champion swimmer Ollie Hynd MBE, who is Hogan Lovells Paralympic ambassador. The firm also provides pro bono legal advice to British ParaSnowSport, in connection with their application for National Governing Body (NGB) status, as well as a number of NGBs, including supporting Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby in the development of variation sports. Other pro bono para-sport clients include the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation, GB Boccia Team and the International Boccia Federation, which Hogan Lovells has supported to launch Boccia in five African and nine Latin American countries to date.

Susan Bright, Hogan Lovells Managing Partner for the UK and Africa, said:

"Sophie's Scholarship is a natural extension of our commitment not only to the ParalympicsGB team and BPA, but to supporting the para-sport community in the UK and globally. We hope that the support Sophie receives from the firm in developing her skills and experience off the track will make her even more of a force to be reckoned with in her charge to Rio in September. We can't wait to see her and Ollie Hynd, the Hogan Lovells Paralympic Ambassador, in action!"