LIFT Insight Week

Applications to our LIFT programmes are currently closed.

LIFT: Insight for Future Talent

LIFT is a paid, five-day, hybrid programme in which you’ll gain exposure to different careers whether in the legal sector with access to lawyers and Partners or within our Business Services with equal opportunities for networking and mentoring, and the chance to build confidence in a professional setting.

During this week, you will attend:

Insight sessions for various practice groups.
Skills development sessions (such as an interview workshop, CV Workshop).
Application guidance for Early Careers opportunities.
A core project to work on with our colleagues and present to senior leaders.

Programme dates:

Legal: 13th - 17th July 2026

Business Services: 27th - 31st July 2026

Who is LIFT for?

LIFT was designed to dismantle systemic and cultural barriers that prevent many from even considering a future in law. Recognising that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not, especially for those from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, LIFT provides fair access to experience and insight into the legal sector.

Owing to the successful impact of the programme, we are now proudly extending our offer to include a second cohort placed in our Business Services departments.

In order to qualify for this programme you must be aged 18 and older, at least one year out of compulsory education and from a lower socio-economic background. If you meet these criteria, and just want to find out a little more about what working in law is all about, LIFT might be exactly what you need!

Two different programmes

The success of law firms depends on more than just it's lawyers. Business Services professionals, which include departments like Business Development, Marketing, Finance, IT and HR, make up almost half of all the colleagues at Clyde & Co, and are critical to serving its clients on a day-to-day basis.

That's why, this year, we will be welcoming two separate cohorts: one tailored towards legal roles and one towards Business Services. Though participants in both programmes will get a fully rounded picture of life in the legal sector and equivalent skills training opportunities, the group project and selected sessions will be tailored specifically to Legal and Business Services roles depending on which programme you choose.

The essentials:

Locations: London or Manchester based.
Hybrid programme.
Programme dates: 13 - 17 July 2026.
You will be paid £520 per week, with some additional support towards travel expenses. We also provide accommodation, if required.

What you can expect during this Insight Week:

Panel Sessions. Skills Development Workshops.
Networking Opportunities.
A casework project to present to partners.
1 year of mentorship with a Clyde & Co colleague.

The essentials:

Location: Glasgow.
Hybrid programme.
Programme dates: 27 - 31 July 2026.
You will be paid £520 per week, with some additional support towards travel expenses. We also provide accommodation, if required.

What you can expect during this Insight Week:

Panel Sessions.
Skills Development Workshops.
Networking Opportunities.
A project to present to senior leaders.
1 year of mentorship with a Clyde & Co colleague.

Programme details

The programme consists of two days in-person in an office across the UK and three days virtually, during which you will have access to panel sessions, skills development workshops and networking opportunities.

You’ll be given consistent support and guidance throughout the week, alongside a mentor, who will continue to support you with your personal development after the insight week.

One year of mentoring

No minimum grade requirements

Paid living wage*

*tax implications may affect the total amount paid. For further advice see the gov.uk website

Laptops, keyboards, wifi dongles, and any further tech supplied, if required

All travel expenses covered for the in-person days

Accommodation will be sourced for the in-person days, if required

Am I Eligible?

For this programme, applicants must be age 18 years or older and at least one year out of compulsory education (this includes secondary school, high school or sixth form college or studying A Levels, Scottish Highers, technical or vocational qualifications or equivalent). Applicants must also have the right to work in the UK.

You also need to meet at least one of the following criteria:

two women sitting at a table with a laptop

You were eligible for free school meals (you do not have to have received them).
Your household income was lower than roughly £21,000 when you were about aged 14.
You grew up in a household where no parent/guardian had attended university or higher education (you are still eligible if your parents/guardians went to university as a mature student, and if a sibling went to university).
The occupation of your highest-paid parent or guardian when you were about aged 14 was: technical and craft occupations (e.g motor mechanic, plumber, printer, electrician, gardener, train driver) or routine, semi-routine manual and service occupations (e.g. postal worker, machine operative, security guard, caretaker, farm worker, catering assistant, sales assistant, HGV driver, cleaner, porter, waiter/waitress) or unemployed.
You spent time in local authority care.
You are or have been a carer.
You had refugee or asylum seeker status as a child.
You have experienced homelessness.
You consider yourself to be from a lower socio-economic background.

Let's take it step by step

Our strengths-based recruitment process is based on fairness and equity. It’s designed to help us identify what motivates you to work at a city law firm, over your learnt experiences, and helps you show us the most authentic version of yourself. Here’s how it works for this programme:

a woman sitting at a desk with two computers

Applications open

Fill out an application form and answer a few motivational questions. We’re interested to know what excites you about this opportunity, we’re not looking for grades or experience.

Notification

Once we have reviewed your application, we’ll let you know if you have been successful and what the next steps will be. If you’re unsuccessful, don’t be disheartened, we’ll give you options you can look at to continue your career pursuit.

Application tips

We’re looking for engaged individuals, excited for an opportunity to learn about Clyde & Co and the wider legal/commercial sector. Relying on AI tools like ChatGPT may result in responses that feel more generic and less reflective individual perspective; personalised responses result in better scores in this application.

LIFT insight sessions

To help you prepare for the LIFT programme, we run a 1.5 hour insight sessions. Here, you’ll learn more about the application process and what to expect from a LIFT insight week.

Please note, you only need to join one session, and these are optional.

Insight Session 1: Wednesday 4 February, 14:00 - 15:30

Insight Session 2: Tuesday 10 February, 18:00 - 19:30

Insight Session 3: Saturday 21 February 12:30 - 14:00

For any questions please email [email protected].