Global law firm offer prestigious placements following awards final

Two second year law students have been offered placements at a global law firm specialising in insurance, transport, energy, infrastructure, and trade & commodities.

Betsy Board and Joshua Gibson, who study law and criminology and law respectively, both made it to the finals of the Future Lawyer of the Year category at this year’s Target Undergraduate Awards in April. Although neither student scooped the top prize, sponsors of the award law firm Clyde & Co were so impressed by their applications and aptitude that they offered them both placements.

Clyde & Co is a global firm employing 5000 people across 60 offices worldwide. They navigate trade and commercial risks and have been providing their expertise for 90 years.

Betsy loves the challenge of studying law and enjoys getting to grips with the nuances of the topic while Joshua appreciates the different people you get to meet, whether that’s students, staff or professionals who he says are always eager to help.

Speaking of her placement opportunity, Betsy said, “I’m delighted to have been awarded the placement at Clyde & Co. It had always been a firm that I have been interested in and I am very excited to experience their work further. I’m looking forward to gaining some experience within their sector-based work, as well as networking with like-minded students.”

Joshua said, “My main objective for entering the Target Undergraduate Awards was to prove to myself that I could do well in something like this and also to try and get Clyde & Co to know who I am as they are one of my top firms. I was really shocked when I was offered the scheme but I’m really looking forward to it now. It will be an excellent learning experience.”

Betsy began her placement with the firm in London in June while Joshua has deferred his placement until spring 2024.

Helen McNally, Law Careers Manager at the School of Law and Politics said, “Reaching the final stages of the Target Undergraduate of the Year Awards is a fantastic achievement for Betsy and Joshua who were among 132 finalists selected from over 4700 applicants this year! The application process alone is excellent preparation for the graduate recruitment process which tends to be lengthy for law firms.

Even though Betsy and Joshua didn’t win, the fact that they were both offered placement opportunities with Clyde & Co shows what an excellent positive impression they made on the firm.  I’d encourage students to make the most of opportunities like this – if you don’t apply, you definitely won’t win, but if you do, who knows what opportunities may arise as a result!”