Joanna Hughes
Expert Consultant and Champion of Solicitor Apprenticeships
FOR A MORE
INCLUSIVE AND BRILLIANT
LEGAL SECTOR IN THE UK
FOR A MORE INCLUSIVE AND BRILLIANT LEGAL SECTOR IN THE UK
Joanna Hughes
Founder & Director
Joanna Hughes
Solicitor Apprenticeships
Hi, I'm Joanna.
I am hugely passionate about the benefits of the solicitor apprentice route into the legal profession; benefits it can bring to both law firms and apprentices.
I have years of experience in advising law firms and in-house legal teams on the advantages of solicitor apprenticeships and can give you complete direction about the process.
Think of me as your go-to consultant for all things solicitor apprenticeships.
With 25 years experience as a solicitor in a large international law firm, and the Co-CEO of City Century, I can safely say I ‘get’ law firms and how best to introduce and operate solicitor apprenticeships.
Motivated by a desire to improve socio-economic diversity in the legal profession, I'm a multi-award winning social mobility advocate.
Video from the Canny Conversations Podcast by Safaraz Ali, Social Entrepreneur
"There is a reason why we chose Joanna for the 2024 Commitment to Apprenticeships Award, from a pool of many brilliant champions in many sectors. Joanna is a passionate and principled advocate for social mobility, with a rare ability to unite purpose, professionalism, and authenticity...."
Other consultants can assist with solicitor apprenticeships, but none of them were solicitors themselves.
My experience as a solicitor at Allen & Overy (now A&O Shearman) for 25 years and the fact that I co-led the introduction of solicitor apprenticeships at Allen & Overy, the first ‘Magic Circle’ firm to launch this important route to qualification, gives me a unique insight into the experiences of both solicitor apprentices, their supervisors and law firms in general.
I offer services for employers, not for aspiring solicitor apprentices. The City Century collaboration of 50+ law firms however assists both law firms and school pupils wishing to apply for a solicitor apprenticeship.
Jo in action - in her day-to-day role!
Some of the organisations I work with:
