Groundbreaking Partnership to Inspire Future Legal Professionals

A pioneering collaboration between the Cabot Learning Federation (CLF), Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) LLP, and The Brilliant Club will launch in the 2025/26 academic year, with King’s Oak Academy piloting the initiative on behalf of the CLF.

This exciting partnership will deliver a transformative programme designed to raise aspirations, improve social mobility, and inspire the next generation of professionals within the legal and wider professional services sectors.

The key aims and objectives of the initiative are to:

• Provide innovative industry insights: Equip learners from Year 6 to Year 11 at King’s Oak Academy with the knowledge and confidence to pursue careers in law and professional services.
• Demystify qualification pathways: Help learners understand the routes into the sector, removing barriers to higher education and professional progression.
• Raise aspirations and improve attendance: Support children and young people, particularly those experiencing disadvantage, to envision and work towards ambitious futures.
• Promote social mobility and diversity: Address underrepresentation in the legal profession by widening access and fostering inclusion.
• Create a scalable blueprint: Develop a model that can be rolled out across other CLF academies and beyond, amplifying its impact.

Skye Fenton-Wells, Early Talent Recruitment Manager from Womble Bond Dickinson, said: “We are excited to collaborate with CLF on a pilot programme aimed at strategically engaging children and young people from Year 6 to Year 11 at King’s Oak Academy.

“This initiative highlights our unwavering commitment to supporting the communities we serve, enhancing social mobility, and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“By investing in the future of these students, we are fostering their personal growth and development, while also building a more inclusive and equitable future for all.

“This programme is also crucial in supporting the next generation, ensuring we create a sustainable pipeline of future talent.”

Lindsay Rose, Strategic Partnerships Lead for The Brilliant Club, said: “The Brilliant Club is delighted to be working with Cabot Learning Federation and Womble Bond Dickinson to support King’s Oak Academy students and pupils on this exciting project.

“The Brilliant Club Scholars Programme provides young people with an inspiring, academically-challenging, university-style experience. We are committed to helping pupils currently underrepresented in higher education to grow their academic skills and self-confidence, allowing them to see university as a place where they belong.

“The Scholars Programme will be an excellent complement to the wider programme of activities run by Womble Bond Dickinson to foster personal development and expose them to what their futures can hold.

“We are very grateful for Womble Bond Dickinson’s support of our involvement with this project, and we are excited to see the powerful impact it will have for King’s Oak pupils.”

Andrew Bell, Partnerships Manager at the CLF, said: “This collaboration is an exciting opportunity to take an innovative approach to industry insights, giving young people at King’s Oak a practical, strategic insight to career opportunities just a short distance from Kingswood.

“Bringing Womble Bond Dickinson and The Brilliant Club together to explore a bespoke programme has been a great experience; as a result, we’ve been able to create a blueprint that will be scalable across the trust and at non-CLF schools.”