We are pleased to confirm that eight new trainees will begin their training contracts in October. Seven will be based in our London office, and one in our Leeds office.
Training principal Emma Hatley says: “We are pleased to welcome our 2022 cohort of eight new trainees who are starting their training contracts with us across a variety of seats in London and Leeds.
“At the same time we congratulate our 2020 cohort as they progress into NQ positions in three of our departments across Stewarts, with three securing a role at another firm. It was another stellar group of talented young lawyers, all of whom made an outstanding contribution to Stewarts through their energy, hard work and commitment to each department they spent time in and the firm as a whole.”
New trainees – Class of 2022
Eight of our existing paralegals will begin their training contract with the firm in October 2022, an increase from six the previous year. During the next two years, the trainees will rotate around our legal departments and Knowledge Management and Compliance team.
The new trainees will be:
- Hannah Boddy
- Katie Cruickshank
- Grace Horvath-Franco
- Angus Horwood-Smart
- Shaun Kelly
- Rachel Luk
- James Philpott
- Olivia Shaw
New NQs
All six trainees from our 2020 intake have taken NQ roles, with three continuing as newly qualified lawyers at Stewarts.
Our new associates are:
- Ben Connor, Divorce and Family, London
- Shannon Maude, Clinical Negligence, London
- Mary Read, Commercial Litigation, London
Trainee recruitment at Stewarts
We recruit trainees almost exclusively from our existing paralegal pool; we are one of only a handful of firms to adopt this strategy.
Emma Hatley spoke to The Times in 2017 about the benefits of this arrangement: “The real advantage is that we can evaluate how the candidates perform in the work environment over a more protracted period than could be achieved on paper or by interview.
“Another advantage is that the firm can consider candidates pursuing a second career — we have applicants from the media and banking sectors — and those who, for whatever reason, may not have succeeded as well in formal exams, but have what it takes to be a successful litigator. It is probably a reflection of the competitiveness of the legal industry that the paralegal role is an increasingly common pathway to a legal career.”
Peter Neenan, a partner in our Aviation team, who joined the firm as a paralegal, commented in the same interview: “As a paralegal in the Aviation department I was given responsibilities that many ‘magic circle’ firms would not even have given to trainees. The practical exposure meant that I understood the firm and its culture, the aviation department and their expectations — before I even considered seeking a traineeship with the firm. They knew what my strengths and weaknesses were.”
Harry McGowan and Matthew Tighe, newly promoted to the partnership in 2022, also completed their training contract at Stewarts.
We encourage our people to strive for excellence in everything they do. Our culture promotes a good work/life balance and supports the career progression of our staff.
We’ve highlighted some of the careers of our people, outlining the diverse paths they have taken to get where they are today.
Interested in joining us?
At Stewarts, we aim to recruit and retain the best people at all levels of the firm. The ability, dedication and technical excellence of our people are critical to the successes we achieve for our clients.
If you are interested in working for Stewarts our Careers section provides further details of our recruitment process and current opportunities.
You can find further information regarding our expertise, experience and teams on our Expertise pages and more about the firm on our About Us section.
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