Two year 12 pupils at Rhyl Sixth Form College have successfully reached the final of ‘The Legal Apprentice’ competition.

[aoa id=”1″]Launched last September by law firm Kingsley Napley LLP in partnership with The Times, the competition saw 902 teams from 308 schools across the UK compete against each other through a series of heats testing pupils’ drafting, negotiation and interpersonal skills.[/aoa]

The final, which is being held at News UK (headquarters of The Times) on 19 June, will see Rhyl Sixth Form College pupils battle it out against eight other finalists from Parkstone Grammar School in Dorset, Tunbridge Wells Girls Grammar School in Kent and St Mary’s Grammar School in Magherafelt, Co. Londonderry.

Students in the winning team will each receive £500 and will be interviewed by Kingsley Napley for the ultimate prize of winning a highly coveted legal apprenticeship at the firm following completion of their A-Levels. The winning team’s school will also receive £5000 to put towards any technical advancement of their choice.

The second runner-up will receive a paid internship at Kingsley Napley and remaining students from the winning team will receive one week’s work experience at the firm.

In preparation for the final, pupils will attend a one-day masterclass hosted by the firm to hone their legal and debating skills.

Stephen Parkinson, senior partner at Kingsley Napley, comments:

“The response to our inaugural Legal Apprentice competition has been overwhelming and the calibre of applicants, outstanding. The competition was fierce but our ten finalists performed consistently well across the three heats and stood out for their excellent legal flair.”

The competition aims to encourage more students from non-traditional backgrounds who are underrepresented in the profession to pursue a career in law.

“Kingsley Napley is keen to spearhead the drive to increase social mobility within the legal profession and I sincerely hope the competition has inspired more pupils to consider a career in the law,” said Stephen Parkinson.

Jonathan Ames, The Times’ Legal Editor, comments:

“The Times takes coverage of the legal profession very seriously and as a newspaper we benefit every day from the counsel of an excellent team of lawyers. The Times is keen to encourage young people from across society to consider the law as a career. We wish the finalists every success and hope to welcome all participants as readers.”