Supporting Future Lawyers Through Our Oxford Brookes Mentorship Programme

SE-Solicitors is very proud to be working closely with Oxford Brookes University, supporting their students as they take their first steps into a career in law.

Through our ongoing collaboration with the Law School, we’ve developed a mentorship programme designed to give students a clearer understanding of the realities of working in the legal profession, beyond the classroom.

A practical approach to learning

Law is both academic and practical, and one of the biggest challenges for students is connecting the two.

As part of our partnership with Oxford Brookes University:

• Students visit our offices on a number of occasions, giving them a real insight into life at a law firm.
• We deliver lectures highlighting actual career paths in law and sharing experience of working in a practice. Both Deborah Davies from our Family team & Anis Waiz from our Dispute Resolution team have recently delivered lectures to the university students, with Deborah giving an insight into what students should expect in court & Anis breaking down what makes a good lawyer and giving reflections on working in disputes.
• The programme is led by Patrick Mulcare, our Managing Director who has played a key role with Dr Charlotte Houghteling, law lecturer and Co-Lead of Co-curricular and career development at Oxford Brookes in developing and growing the initiative.

Supporting students to build confidence within our mentorship programme

Before joining the programme, one of the main challenges we identified was around interview skills and application writing.

Many students had strong academic knowledge but needed support in presenting their experience in a clear, structured and compelling way.

To address this, our programme includes:

• An Applications Workshop, focused on drafting effective CVs and covering letters
• A Mock Trainee Assessment morning, designed to mirror the SE-Solicitors assessment day experience

These sessions give students a practical understanding of what to expect and helps them build confidence, on how they present themselves and communicate effectively, in a supportive environment.

Through this initiative we have seen real progress in areas such as commercial awareness and applications, with students becoming more confident in understanding both the legal profession and the wider business environment.

One of the most rewarding parts of the programme for us is following the ongoing career progression of students. In a recent Podcast on SE-Talks, Isabelle Gaitskill, now a Paralegal at SE-Solicitors, talks about her experience being part of the first cohort of the mentorship programme and how her experience gave her a clearer direction and ultimately led to her joining the firm.

What Students Say

The feedback we’ve received from students has been incredibly positive and reinforces the value of the programme:

“I would like to express my sincere thanks for the excellent experience provided through the SE Solicitors Mentoring Programme… the advice and insights shared were very helpful.”

“I am so grateful to have gotten this opportunity… learning from these workshops and hearing about your experiences has been so valuable.”

“I wanted to thank you for taking the time to organise and implement the SE Solicitors x Oxford Brookes Mentoring Scheme. Your kindness, generosity, and insight truly made this experience unforgettable. I hope our paths cross again in the future!”

Bringing the conversation together

As part of the collaboration, we have recorded an episode of our SE-Talks Oxford podcast with Oxford Brookes University. In the episode, Dr Charlotte Houghteling alongside members of our own team, discuss the importance of mentorship, local engagement and building clear career pathways for students.

The discussion explored how initiatives like ours help students connect academic theory with practical experience, while also highlighting the wider role that collaboration plays in strengthening the legal profession.

Looking ahead

As we continue to grow our presence in Oxford, we look forward to building on our relationship with Oxford Brookes over the long term. Supporting the next generation of legal professionals to feel more prepared, confident and informed as they begin their careers.

If you’d like to find out more about opportunities at SE-Solicitors, please visit our Careers page or get in touch.