Resilience Workshops for Gen Z Lawyers

Freshfields has rolled out a series of “resilience” workshops for UK university students aimed at preparing aspiring lawyers for the pressures of working at a City law firm, from handling partner feedback to dealing with late night requests.

The Magic Circle firm, one of the City’s largest recruiters of trainee solicitors with around 85 training contracts each year, has reportedly been delivering the sessions at unis across the UK in recent weeks. These include Russell Group members such as the University of Manchester, the University of Exeter, the University of Warwick and University College London.

According to training materials seen by Financial News (£), the workshops, branded “Resilience in Action”, are designed to help future trainees manage stress and “stay composed” in situations that will be familiar to many junior lawyers.

These include receiving challenging feedback from supervisors, being questioned by clients on legal advice, and responding calmly when urgent work lands late in the evening.

One scenario encourages Gen Zers to remain level headed during partner feedback, while another suggests reframing a supervisor’s request for substantial revisions ahead of a next day deadline as an opportunity to focus on “what I can learn” rather than “I got it wrong”.

Students are also advised to use a “centering technique” if an urgent request arrives at 8pm, even if they had planned to leave the office, a detail likely to raise eyebrows among those already wary of City law’s long hours culture.

Source: Legal Cheek