We are pleased to confirm that eight new trainees will begin their training contracts at Stewarts in October. We are also pleased to announce that all six of our 2021 trainee intake have secured Associate positions, with four securing associate roles at Stewarts.
Stuart Dench, Managing Partner, commented:
“Congratulations to all of our 2021 trainee cohort, we are very pleased that all have secured NQ positions and that four will be taking roles at Stewarts. Developing young talent is a key part of the firm’s overall growth strategy and we are proud to have such a hardworking, impressive group complete their training with us.
We are also pleased to appoint eight trainees this year, and I look forward to seeing them in their first seats. We had an outstanding cohort of applicants – a really talented generation of future lawyers.”
Newly qualified associates 2023
Three of our new associates will be based in our London office and one will be based in our Leeds office. Three will join our Commercial Litigation department and one will join our Trust & Probate Litigation department.
Our new associates are:
- Ronak Mahdavi Jovainy, Commercial Litigation, Leeds
- Francesca Bugg, Commercial Litigation, London
- Punam Shah, Commercial Litigation, London
- Miriam Spencer, Trust & Probate Litigation, London
New trainees 2023
Eight of our existing paralegals will begin their training contract with the firm in October 2023.
Seven will be based in London, and one in Leeds. During the next two years the trainees will rotate around our legal departments and Knowledge Management and Compliance team.
Our new trainees are:
- James Boissier
- Aarti Chadda
- Ronan D’Cruz
- Victoria Lee Domenech
- Brogan Pennington
- Millie Ryan
- Rose-Marie Sage
- Rafaella Salerno
Trainee recruitment at Stewarts
We recruit our trainees exclusively from our existing paralegal pool; we are one of only a handful of firms to adopt this strategy.
Carly Kinch, the firm’s training partner, is a former Stewarts paralegal who went on to train and qualify at the firm in 2009. She was made a partner in the Divorce and Family team in 2018 and appointed as training partner in 2023.
Emma Hatley, the firm’s former training partner, spoke to The Times in 2017 about the benefits of this arrangement. She said:
“The real advantage is that we can evaluate how the candidates perform in the work environment over a more protracted period than could by 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 also 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.”
If you require assistance from our team, please contact us or alternatively request a call back from one of our lawyers by submitting this form.
Subscribe – In order to receive our news straight to your inbox, subscribe here. Our newsletters are sent no more than once a month.
