Pictured above: Philippa Shorthouse with the Lawyer HR Award
2010 for Best Graduate Recruitment Campaign of the
Year
Browne Jacobson has scooped a national award for its graduate
training programme for the second time in three years.
The firm beat off competition from Clarke Willmott, Lovells and
magic circle giant Linklaters to land the Best Graduate Recruitment
Campaign of the Year Award at The Lawyer HR Awards 2010 which took
place at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London.
The judges praised the firm's campaign, which was led by
Philippa Shorthouse and Zena Comrie for increasing student
awareness levels and the number of applications from local
universities as well as focusing on getting the firm's brand known
throughout the Midlands. The judges were particularly impressed
with the firm's simplified application procedures and new trainee
development programme.
The award, judged by a panel of HR experts, praises schemes
which have achieved their objectives in the following areas:
• number of applicants
• aptitude of applicants
• range of educational institutions
• diversity of applicant backgrounds
The Lawyer HR Awards aims to celebrate excellence and best
practice in the effective use of HR strategy.
Eileen Henry, HR Director at Browne Jacobson, said :
"To have won the award on two occasions is a major achievement
for the firm. The last 12 months have certainly been challenging so
we are delighted to have had our best recruitment year ever. The
number of trainee applications is up, the quality of candidates is
impressive and every potential trainee we offered a training
contract to, accepted. Even on a much tighter budget we made sure
our brand visibility, quality training programme and competitive
financial package were never compromised."
Earlier in the year the firm was awarded 8 rosettes by LEX 100.
Each year Lex canvasses the opinions of trainees at over 150 law
firms by asking them to rate ten key aspects of their trainee
programme including job satisfaction, client contact, friendliness
of the firm and social life. The 20 highest scoring firms in each
category nationally receive a rosette award.