Taylor Wessing adds support for better representation of Black talent through the 10,000 Black Interns programme

We are delighted to announce our participation in the 10,000 Black Interns programme. 10,000 Black Interns is an initiative to help transform the horizons and prospects of young Black students in the United Kingdom.

Dominic FitzPatrick, UK Senior Partner said:

"The 10,000 Black Interns programme works with participating organisations across 15 confirmed sectors, including the legal sector, to make available paid internships to Black students. This is an opportunity for law firms like ours to show that we recognise that Black talent is underrepresented within our profession and demonstrate our commitment to tackling this in a practical way."

"Many firms, ourselves included, have existing initiatives to increase diversity within our firms. 10,000 Black Interns complements those initiatives. The programme has the potential to reach a greater number of Black students from more diverse backgrounds than individual firms are able to access alone. We are delighted to support this programme."

The 10,000 Black Interns programme will offer paid internships across a wide range of sectors, providing training and development opportunities and creating a sustainable cycle of mentorship and sponsorship for Black students in the United Kingdom.

10,000 Black Interns will work in partnership with bodies representing a comprehensive range of higher education institutions including University Alliance, GuildHE, MillionPlus and the Russell Group. These bodies together represent 84 institutions with an estimated one million students, of whom approximately 80,000 are Black. 

The programme will build on the successful launch of the #100black interns, where leading players in the investment management industry came together to address the underrepresentation of Black talent in their sector.

10,000 Black Interns builds on that success and aims to provide 10,000 paid internships across 20 sectors within the next five years.