Mourant, a law firm-led professional services business, is celebrating the admission of three solicitors of England and Wales who qualified through the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).
Katie Flynn, Ronan Granville and Roxanna Lackschewitz-Martin (pictured) have recently completed their training in the firm’s Guernsey and Jersey offices. As a result of their hard work and dedication over the past two years, they will all remain with the firm in the role of Associate, effective June 2024.
This is not the first time Mourant has supported solicitor qualification, but it marks the implementation of its structured SQE trainee programme. This new programme, which will enable the firm to attract and nurture the best local talent, comprises a fixed-term two-year contract. During this period, trainees complete three eight-month rotations across various legal practice areas, gaining a wide breadth of practical experience, whilst studying alongside for their exams.
In line with its inclusion goals, Mourant has embraced the opportunity to adopt the SQE trainee programme. Introduced in 2021 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the SQE aims to support a more diverse range of people from less well-represented socio-economic backgrounds, who may find themselves negatively impacted by the costs and lack of flexibility often associated with the traditional qualification route into law. In addition to breaking down the barriers to access, the SRA also wanted to ensure it could assess all prospective solicitors to the same standard.
The SQE will soon replace the Legal Practice Course (LPC) as the main route to qualification, although trainee solicitors can still qualify via the traditional route during the initial phasing out period.
Guernsey Managing Partner, John Lewis, said: “Congratulations to all three of our newly qualified lawyers. It is a pleasure to welcome Katie and Ronan to our Guernsey office in their new role of Associate. I have seen first-hand their positive attitudes and willingness to learn, and I have no doubt that they will be assets to our firm as they continue their careers with Mourant.
Jersey Managing Partner, Dan Birtwistle, added: “The firm has invested heavily in learning, training and development strategies in recent years, and initiatives such as the SQE trainee programme help to support a diverse range of people to enter the profession, bolstering Mourant’s talent base and enabling us to offer the best possible service to our clients.
“I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to all three of our new Associates. Roxy’s dedication and hard work have led to this well-deserved achievement, and we wish her every success in this next phase of her career in our Jersey Litigation team.”
In total, Mourant has had eight lawyers qualify via the SQE route since 2022, and currently has 11 trainees studying/working towards qualification.
