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June 13th, 2022

ELF placement opportunities for trainee solicitors

By Elf

ELF has for some while discussed providing placements for trainee solicitors and indeed under the new solicitors’ training rules, a trainee can gain qualifying work experience at up to 4 different organisations during their training. ELF believes that it can provide opportunities for trainees to work on environmental and public interest work in a busy and important charity.

By way of demonstration, in March and April ELF hosted Kiran Maher, trainee solicitor at Richard Buxton Solicitors (pictured), for an 8-week placement. Kiran, in the last 4 months of her training contract joined Emma in the Advice and Referral Team dealing with our busy caseload of environmental enquiries at ELF. Having a full time colleague in the A&R team has been really useful for ELF and allowed us to significantly increase our capacity and output. ELF is indebted to RBS for the suggestion and Kiran for her enthusiasm for ELF’s work. We wish Kiran every success in the future and know that we will stay in touch.

Kiran commented:

“I was lucky to presented with the opportunity to work at the Environmental Law Foundation and naturally I grasped it with both hands, excited to be involved with the grassroots communities that ELF accommodate. Coming from a specialised environmental, planning, and public law firm (Richard Buxton Solicitors), where I have been since finishing up my undergrad, I was keen to get a broader understanding of environmental problems local communities face on a daily basis.
My secondment with ELF started with an objection letter against a planning in principle application at Clive Vale Local Wildlife Site, Hastings. With the support of the local community who deeply valued the local wildlife site, we were able to produce a strong objection letter detailing the failures of the application and the local planning authority saw sense to reject the application.”

This experiment with Kiran has proved so hugely successful that we would like to invite other ELF member firms who may wish to place their trainee in a completely different though no less busy environment to get in touch. Please contact Emma at [email protected]

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