Gowling WLG UK

🌟 Welcoming our new trainee solicitor cohort!

We're excited to welcome our newest cohort of trainee solicitors. We look forward to supporting your growth throughout and seeing the fresh perspectives you'll bring to Gowling WLG.

👏 We'd also like to offer a special congratulations to our 2022 trainee cohort who have now qualified as Associates. Your hard work and dedication have paid off, and we are so happy to see you achieve this milestone.

Here's to a future full of success and new opportunities for both our new and soon-to-be associates!

👋 Meet Jemima Banks and her assistance dog Albert!

As part of our 'sustainability allies' blog series, we sit down with Jemima to discuss her experience in joining Gowling WLG as a legal apprentice.

From exploring future goals to looking at the positive impact of the firm's new assistance dog policy, we get a sneak peek into Jemima's typical day at Gowling WLG.

Read the blog now 👇
https://gowlg.co/3X3tL6J

SIFA Fireside, a Birmingham-based homelessness charity, has launched a summer campaign to encourage donations during the summer months, a time when volunteering, donations and fundraising tend to be lower than winter months, making it even more challenging for the charity to continue their vital work for those that need it most.

Stuart Young, Partner at Gowling WLG and Trustee Board Member at SIFA Fireside, said "The campaign sends a bold and powerful message and is a great opportunity to recognise the prominent imbalance of funds during the summer months, as well as the vital work that SIFA are doing to support people affected by homelessness in Birmingham."

Find out more about SIFA Fireside and how you can donate.
👉 https://gowlg.co/4cpQ7Uk

🤝 We recently welcomed 20 students into each of our Birmingham and London offices for a week of work experience as part of our

✍️ As a signatory to PRIME, we commit to working towards increasing the socio-economic diversity of law firms.

⚖️ The students were able to get an insight into a career in law, a look inside the offices of an international law firm, chatted to a whole host of people: trainees, apprentices, associates, partners and our Chair Emma Pioli, and undertook mock interviews and practised presentations skills.

👏 A big thank you to all our people who volunteered their time to welcome the students and helped with the work experience activities.

🤝 We recently welcomed 20 students into each of our Birmingham and London offices for a week of work experience as part of our PRIME COMMITMENT .

✍️ As a signatory to PRIME, we commit to working towards increasing the socio-economic diversity of law firms.

⚖️ The students were able to get an insight into a career in law, a look inside the offices of an international law firm, chatted to a whole host of people: trainees, apprentices, associates, partners and our Chair Emma Pioli, and undertook mock interviews and practised presentations skills.

👏 A big thank you to all our people who volunteered their time to welcome the students and helped with the work experience activities.

✈️ We have landed at the Farnborough International Air Show 2024!

Our global Aviation, Aerospace and Defence team is at the conference this week exploring new innovations and opportunities in the sector, as well as catching up with clients.

🪐🚀 We’re looking forward to exploring the key themes of the conference, including space, defence, sustainability, innovation, future flights and workforce.

Last week, our HR team enjoyed a sunny day volunteering with the Canal and River Trust in Birmingham! 🌞

Supporting our responsible business strategy and creating a sense of community, the team got their hands dirty by removing overgrown weeds, clearing the turf and creating a landscape we can all enjoy.

👏 A big thank you to everyone who took part!

Last night, we held an important panel event on allyship, in partnership with IP inclusive Inclusive and our OpenHouse employee network. 🌈

We discussed the essential role of allyship for LGBTQIA+ individuals, looking beyond the rainbow lanyards to other meaningful actions.

Colleagues from Gowling WLG, IP Inclusive and Barker Brettell LLP shared their thoughts on supporting marginalised groups and what it means to be an ally.

Thank you to all those who attended, and our panellists👏

📣 Andrea Brewster OBE, IP Inclusive’s Founder
📣 Francesco Di Lallo, Trainee Patent Attorney, Barker Brettell LLP
📣 Kate Swaine, Partner, Gowling WLG
📣 Michael Tushingham, Associate, Gowling WLG
📣 Alex Driver, Principal Associate, Gowling WLG

🎶 Last week, our fantastic Gowling WLG Chorus held its annual Summer Serenade at Birmingham Cathedral.

They inspired an 80-strong audience with pieces ranging from Amazing Grace to a grand finale with Hail Holy Queen from Sister Act, whilst raising money for our nominated charity The Choir with No Name.

👏 A huge well done and thank you everyone involved!

If you like what you see, you can watch our choir perform at their Christmas concert – so stay tuned for updates.

🚣‍♀️ A big well done to our colleagues who took part in Birmingham's Dragon Boat Race on Saturday, raising money for Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust.

🏆The team did great, coming 5th overall and really enjoyed the day!

👏 Thank you to everyone who has supported them in reaching their fundraising target!

🚴‍♀️ What a fantastic day at the JLL Property Triathlon on Friday!

In support of WWF, 17 members of our UK team took part in the event. One running a 5km, 12 taking part in relay teams, and four participating in triathlons.

👏Special thanks to Rob Bridgman for organising the team, and congratulations to Sarah Hollis for achieving second place in the Women's Individual Triathlon and Denise Sexton for placing first in her age group.

🍌 And our branded bananas with biodegradable stickers were such a hit, we ran out!

Thank you to everyone who got involved!

🌈 To celebrate Pride Month, we are hosting an event in collaboration with IP Inclusive to share the importance of allyship.

✊ Learn about what good allyship to LGBTQIA+ people looks like in practice as we go beyond the rainbow lanyard.

📍 Two Snowhill, Birmingham
📅 3 July, 18:00 - 19:30

Register for your place now or attend virtually.
👉 https://gowlg.co/4cjC1F5

A huge thank you to our amazing team of lawyers who participated in the London Legal Walk last week!

This year, the event celebrated 20 years of supporting free legal advice charities. On 18 June, tens of thousands in the legal sector joined together to walk 10km for justice. 🙌

Take a look at some highlights from the day 📷

On Wednesday night, our Birmingham office hosted our Summer Big Quiz! 🌞

Bringing together a diverse group from service teams and legal staff, we tested our knowledge across a variety of topics, from general knowledge to specialised subjects, keeping everyone on their toes!

Our restaurant was transformed into a holiday destination, complete with mocktails, BBQ and an ice cream station. 🍨

To top it all off, the winning group got to choose a charity to donate the winnings to, making the night even more special.

A special thanks to Emma Pioli for kick-starting the event, Lee Nuttall for be an incredible host, and KJ Clarke for organising the event from start to finish. 👏

255 miles in three days! 🚵‍♂️

Legal director, Denise Sexton, headed to Belgium last week to take part in the Brussels to Paris Cycle Challenge!

Denise was joined by riders from 12 different countries to help raise money toward Habit For Humanity, supporting the most marginalised and vulnerable people in society by building/improving the place they call home.

Well done, Denise! 👏

Find out more about the challenge 👇
https://gowlg.co/4enww9P

Eid Mubarak! 🌙

Wishing all of our clients, colleagues and everyone celebrating a very happy and blessed Eid al-Adha.

Yesterday, members of our GC team volunteered with the Canal and River Trust in Birmingham.

Their mission? Clearing overgrown weeds and turf along the canal paths to enhance accessibility for all. 🌱

This volunteering initiative aligns with our responsible business strategy and underscores our commitment to environmental stewardship.

It’s not just about pulling weeds—it’s about creating a stronger sense of community and leaving a lasting positive impact. Let’s continue nurturing our environment together! 🙌

🏆 Our Corporate Communications team has won Bronze in the 'Best Internal Publication: Digital' at the Communicate magazine Internal Communications and Engagement Awards 2024!

The team is recognised for its work on our internal magazine 'DeFacto' – which was created to share stories about our people, our work and our industry to help bring everyone in the firm closer together by inspiring conversation and showcasing the very best of Gowling WLG.

Congratulations to the team! 🎉

👏 It's National Volunteers' Week! We're taking a look back at just a few of our volunteering achievements this year and the wonderful volunteers that give up their time and energy to help the important charities that we support.

⏲️ At Gowling WLG, we offer all of our people 21 hours' volunteering leave every year to use for either one of our charity partners or for a cause that’s close to their hearts.

A big thank you to all of our volunteers and to the organisations that help to make our activities possible.

Check out some of our highlights in our blog.
👉

Celebrating Volunteers’ Week at Gowling WLG - LoupedIn A key element of who we are is ensuring we're playing our part in the wider community. Volunteering plays a central role in our Responsible Business Strategy which focuses on social mobility, professional skills and responding to local needs. In order to encourage and empower our people to give back...

🌎🌳 Celebrating World Environment Day and Volunteers' Week!

👏 Well done to our lovely volunteers who spent the morning helping to clean up Birmingham City Centre in honour of World Environment Day and Volunteers' Week.

🚮 A big thank you to Wild Earth Movement for helping to organise the litter picking.

At Gowling WLG, we offer all of our people 21 hours' volunteering leave to use for either one of our charity partners or a cause that's close to their hearts.

World Environment Day 🤝 Volunteers’ Week

👏 Well done to our lovely volunteers who spent the morning helping to clean up Birmingham City Centre in honour of World Environment Day and Volunteers’ Week.

🌳 And thanks to for helping to organise the litter picking.

At Gowling WLG, we offer all of our people 21 hours’ volunteering leave to use for either one of our charity partners or a cause that’s close to their hearts.

🧠 Our Mental Health Champions have been sharing their tips and advice to improve mental health and wellbeing and to raise awareness of the importance of looking after our mental health this .

💚 Today, Rebecca Duggan shares a piece of advice that was once given to her when she was struggling with a busy and demanding time.

If you require further support or resources, please visit the Mental Health Foundation: https://gowlg.co/4agOpns

🏳️‍🌈 🥳 We had a wonderful weekend celebrating Pride 2024 in Birmingham!

Take a look at some of our best bits. 👇

🌈 Speaking about the day, our chair Emma Pioli said: "It was fantastic to take part in Birmingham Pride this year to stand with the LGBTQ+ community as a supporting ally. As a firm it's important for us to encourage and empower our people to be themselves in and out of work and continue to create a safe place for all.

"A big thank you to OpenHouse, our LGBT+ network, for organising the wonderful day."

💚 An important role of our Mental Health Champions is to create awareness of the support that is available for our people.

🧠 Today's piece of advice for Mental Health Awareness Month comes from Greg Standing who highlights the importance of talking about mental health more in and out of the workplace.

💬 "As a leader, I believe that normalising conversations around mental health is one of the most powerful things we can do for our people. "

🤝 Our 33 Mental Health Champions at Gowling WLG (UK) are here to support our people, lend a listening ear, and provide signposting for further support.