City Solicitors Horizons Celebrates Ten Years Of Impact

At an event in London tonight, the social mobility programme City Solicitors Horizons (CSH) celebrates its 10^th anniversary and a decade of improving access into the legal profession for undergraduates from under-represented backgrounds.

To date, over 350 individuals have completed the three-year support programme, with 50% of these going on to secure training contracts, mostly in City firms. Another 100 individuals are currently on the programme, 30 of whom were onboarded earlier this year. CSH is powered by the generosity of its sponsor firms, which currently include Ashurst, BCLP, Cleary Gottlieb, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, Mayer Brown, and Sullivan & Cromwell.

During their time at university, CSH helps to enhance candidates’ confidence and address potential barriers through training sessions, one-to-one coaching, mentoring, and work experience at a sponsor firm, ensuring they are equipped to seek training contracts and build their careers in the legal profession.

Roger Finbow, who helped launch CSH in 2015 alongside the City Solicitors Educational Trust and City of London Solicitors Company, said: “The birth of CSH resulted from the realisation that each year there are hundreds of good quality students studying law at universities that the big recruiters largely ignore. As a consequence, they face a real challenge to get onto the first step in the legal profession, especially if they come from less advantaged backgrounds. The success of CSH over its first decade has been well beyond my expectations and hopes”.

Adam Badawy, a CSH graduate and now Trainee Associate at Freshfields LLP, said: “Without City Solicitors Horizons, I would not have secured a training contract. The programme provided invaluable insight into a profession where I had no existing connections, gave me the confidence to excel in interviews, and offered unique opportunities to develop cultural capital. I’m deeply grateful for the transformative support this programme offered”.

Now managed by the education and training charity SEO London and seeking new sponsor firms, CSH is set to scale-up and reach hundreds more quality candidates, not least through the new ‘CSH Academy’, a consolidated intensive induction event to introduce undergraduates to the legal profession and directly connect them with those working in the City.

Nathalie Richards, CEO of SEO London, said: “SEO London is extremely proud of the impact the City Horizons Solicitors scheme has had, with 241 of our students from over 50 universities graduating and going on to establish successful careers in City law firms, corporates, and government and regulatory bodies. Looking ahead, we are committed to broadening the range of support from sponsors and to empowering even more talented students from challenging socio-economic backgrounds”.

***ENDS***