Arnold & Porter Participates with Client VIMN in the Legal Social Mobility Partnership

LONDON, August 5, 2014 -- Arnold & Porter LLP has announced a partnership with its client Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) and London state-funded school Westminster Kingsway College to enable students from state schools to gain access to work experience in the firm’s London office and with the client’s in-house legal team.

The Legal Social Mobility Partnership (LSMP) is part of a new initiative where law firms, clients and schools have created a partnership to offer students valuable learning opportunities.  Over the past year Arnold & Porter’s partner Richard Dickinson has worked closely with the VIMN in-house legal team, including SVP Business & Legal Affairs Roger James and VP Legal Affairs Susannah Verity, and with Westminster Kingsway College’s law course teacher Desmond Corlis, to develop a tailored work experience scheme for six students aged 16-18.

“This is part of our firm’s commitment to investing in our community, giving school students the opportunity to form ‘buddy’ relationships with lawyers in the firm and learn about different lawyers’ backgrounds and routes into law,” said Richard Dickinson, the Arnold & Porter partner who led the initiative for the firm’s London office.

“This partnership forms part of a wider commitment from VIMN to support young people from all backgrounds in gaining experience in the world of broadcasting. We are delighted to add the LSMP to our existing paid internship programme and apprenticeship scheme to help new talent get a first foothold on the broadcasting career ladder,” added Roger James, SVP, General Counsel, Business and Legal Affairs, VIMN. 

Mark Hilton, the head of A Levels at Westminster Kingsway College, concluded: “The LSMP scheme is about raising students’ aspirations. It’s extremely useful for them to gain experience of going into a law firm and seeing what it would be like to work there, and what they can aspire to in the future. It also gives them insights into the skills that make them more employable; how to dress and speak and behave in an office environment.”