Seeks to boost Middle East growth by developing
young talent connected to the region
International law firm Pinsent Masons, which has offices in Dubai and
Doha, has launched a new graduate trainee programme deliberately
tailored towards developing young legal talent with strong
international backgrounds and close affiliations to the Gulf region.
The trainee programme is believed to be one of the first of its kind
in the Middle East and is aimed at underpinning the firm’s
strategic growth plans within the region, as well as supporting its
ambition to nurture promising Emirati, Qatari and other lawyers from
the Middle East.
Under the programme, which officially starts in September 2014 with
four trainee lawyers, Pinsent Masons will provide their new recruits
with a two year traineeship that rotates them between their offices
in Dubai, Doha and the firm’s headquarters in London, where they
will spend at least a year working alongside British colleagues. Once
the full rotation is complete, the trainees will receive a globally
respected English legal qualification, which falls under a framework
set out by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, with a view to
qualifying into one of the firm’s growing offices in the UAE and
Qatar.
The initial cohort of four trainees, who all graduated from the
University of Law in the UK, was carefully selected by Partners
already based in the GCC. They were chosen because of their close
ties to the Middle East and their understanding of the region’s
language and unique culture. Looking ahead to future intakes, the
firm's aim is to discuss recruitment to the trainee programme with a
number of higher education institutions based within the region.
Commenting, Sachin Kerur, Head of Gulf Region at Pinsent Masons,
said:
“We are delighted to be rolling out a dedicated and tailored-made
graduate trainee programme for our operations in the Middle East.
This region is a growing part of our international business and to
capitalise on the significant opportunities it is likely to present
in the years ahead, we fully understand the need to invest in and
develop local talent, including Emirati and Qatari nationals. We want
to recruit junior lawyers who share our excitement about the region's
future and want to make a commitment to being a part of it.
“Through this programme, the law graduates we have carefully
selected will be exposed to the legal systems in a numbers of
important jurisdictions, including the UK, and they will receive a
highly respected qualification at the end of their programme. They
will also be exposed to our thriving Middle East operations, which
deal with the unique dynamics and culture of the region.
“Our ambition is to refine and expand this programme over time,
ultimately opening it up to the best legal talent studying at local
universities. We believe that while this is a significant investment
of time and resources, it will give our firm a clear strategic
advantage as we look to capture exciting opportunities across the
whole of the Middle East.”
