Law firm work experience for 16-18-year-olds
We’re working with Blake Morgan to offer two young people living in our homes the opportunity to take part in a week of work experience at their Oxford law firm this August.
12 May 2025
Law firm work experience for 16-18-year-olds
We’re working with Blake Morgan to offer two young people living in our homes the opportunity to take part in a week of work experience at their Oxford law firm this August.
Blake Morgan’s ‘Growing Ambitions’ scheme provides work placements for 16-18-year-olds, covering different departments at their office in Botley. Attendees get the chance to:
- Experience ‘a day in the life’ of a lawyer.
- Meet some of the company’s trainees and learn how they started their careers in law.
- Take part in a variety of skills workshops.
- Learn about the various routes into law, including Cilex, vocational training contracts and solicitor apprenticeships.
- Hear about a range of careers, with talks from a barrister, the marketing department and Thames Valley Police (subject to availability).
- Meet with the human resources team for advice on CVs, interview techniques and completing application forms.
Anyone who wishes to take part needs to:
- Be able to attend Blake Morgan’s office in Botley, Oxford from 9.30am – 4pm on Monday 4 to Friday 8 August 2025. We will provide transport from our Witney offices if required.
- Live in a Cottsway property and be aged 16 -18.
- Attend a short ice-breaker session (date to be confirmed) prior to the placement to meet other students taking part, the staff involved in running the week and to learn more about what to expect.
Cottsway will provide a bursary of £50 to help with transport, shoes and clothing as required. Lunch will be provided to give attendees further opportunities to chat to the trainees and other members of staff.
Heidi, who lives in one of our homes in Enstone, took part in last year's scheme. She said: “Having applied to do a law degree with criminology, this was a great opportunity to gain some hands-on experience before I started university. It had just the right mix of placements and trips outside of the office and I found the whole programme massively helpful and thoroughly enjoyed it.
“I’m now just about to finish my first year at Oxford Brookes University and taking part in this scheme has helped spur me onto pursuing a career in medical law. I’d definitely recommend taking part to someone else considering a career in law.”
The work experience will include tasks and activities that are accessible yet challenging, designed especially for the Growing Ambitions scheme.
This will focus on areas of law which young people are likely to have some previous knowledge of and they will be encouraged to learn new skills and step outside their comfort zone by taking part in:
- Written activities based on scenarios which the lawyers in various departments typically deal with.
- Focused, internet-based research to stimulate interest in topical legal issues.
- Interactive skills workshops focusing on presentation skills, client interviewing and branding / marketing.
- A mock trial - working in groups to present arguments for either the prosecution or the defence in the context of a criminal law case study.
If you – or someone you know - is interested in applying, please:
- Read Blake Morgan’s Growing Ambitions brochure.
- Make sure that your parents or guardian give you permission to apply for the scheme if you’re under 18.
- Complete the application form below to ensure you’re applying for one of Cottsway’s two places on the scheme.
The deadline for applications is Friday 27 June.
For more information:
- Call: 01993 890000
- Email: communities@cottsway.co.uk
A privacy notice tells you how we use your personal data, so you know what happens with it when you give it to us.
Who are we?
We are Cottsway Housing Association and we have a responsibility to protect the personal data you give us in this application form.
More information about how Cottsway use your data for other reasons can be found at Protecting your privacy
Personal data - what’s that?
Anything that can identify you is your personal data. If you apply for the Growing Ambitions scheme, this is the information we collect about you in the application form eg, your name.
Why do you need my personal data?
We need your personal data to manage your application and make sure that this opportunity is going to Cottsway customers who are eligible for the scheme. We’ll only use the personal data you give us for this purpose.
We’re able to use your personal data because you have given us permission to do so as part of the application, this is also known as giving us consent to use your data.
You have the right to withdraw consent and to ask us to delete the personal data you have given us in this application form. If you would like us to delete this information, please contact us using the contact details at the end of this notice. If you withdraw consent, we will no longer be able to process your application.
If your application is successful, we’ll need to contact your parent or guardian if you’re under 18. Please let them know you’re applying and show them this privacy notice.
We’ll not make any automated decisions about you using the personal data you have given us.
Can anyone else see my personal data?
If your application is successful, we’ll share your data with Blake Morgan, who deliver the Growing Ambitions scheme. They need the information you’ve given us to get in touch with you (and your parent or guardian if you’re under 18) about the scheme, and have their own privacy notice which you should also read. We will not share the personal data you give us with anyone else and we will not share this data outside of the UK.
How long will you keep my personal data and how will you keep it safe?
Your personal data will be stored on Cottsway’s computer systems and we have systems in place to keep your data secure. We’ll only keep your data long enough to manage your application. If your application is successful, we’ll keep your data for 12 months.
When we have finished using your information, it will be deleted.
Do I have a say in what happens to my personal data?
Yes, you do. You have rights when we use your data. One of these is the right to know what we do with it. That’s what this privacy notice is for.
You also have the right to:
- Ask us to tell you what personal data we have about you, and if your personal data is wrong, you can tell us and we will fix it.
- Ask us to delete the personal data you have given us in this form.
- Ask that we transfer the information you gave us from one organisation to another, or give it to you.
If you want to contact us about any of these rights, please use the Cottsway contact us
Who makes sure you keep my personal data safe?
We have someone at Cottsway whose job is to protect your data. This means they make sure we’re following all the rules, and your data is safe. If they see something wrong, they tell us how we can fix it.
You can contact us if you are worried about how we use your information:
- Write to: Cottsway Housing, Heynes Place, Witney OX28 4YG
- Email: contact@cottsway.co.uk
- Call: 01993 890000
There is an organisation called the ICO who make sure we follow the rules and can punish us when we don't. You can contact them at:
- Call: 0303 123 1113
- Email: casework@ico.org.uk
- Visit: ICO website - make a complaint