Clifford Chance has created a scholarship for law students in Spain, France, Italy and the Netherlands to attract diverse talent. The initiative is part of the Race Equality and Celebrating Heritage (REACH) programme’s strategic plan to foster inclusion and make the Clifford Chance team representative of social and economic diversity in Europe.
The scholarship, which will be awarded annually, amounts to 10,000 euros for each candidate and is aimed at university students with diverse cultural or socio-economic origins who are in the last two years of their law studies and are interested in pursuing a career in a law firm.
In this first year of the scholarship, three students have been awarded; in Spain, the Netherlands and France. While not a requirement, the firm was particularly interested in candidates who were the first generation of university students in their families. This scholarship is not a one-time grant; its goal is to create a lasting link with the candidates – even those who are not ultimately awarded – in order to build a diverse talent pool to work with in the future.
Samir Azzouzi,partner, M&A/Corporate practice area and active member of our REACH network, comments: “We are pleased to announce that Mimouna El Beghdadi Maaroufi, a student at ESADE Law School, is the winner of this first edition in Spain. We hope that with this contribution we can help her access greater opportunities in her academic career in order to achieve her career goals, and that her example will inspire many other students to apply for this scholarship in the next call.”
Mimouna El Beghdadi Maaroufi shares: “The recognition that this scholarship represents is a personal achievement, as well as an opportunity. It will allow me to pay for my exchange in Paris, in collaboration with ESADE, and continue my education until I can start my career in law firms like Clifford Chance.”
Talking about ESADE’s diversity policy, Jorge Castiñeira, head of the double Bachelor of Business Administration and Law at ESADE Law Schooladds : “Diversity and inclusion are essential principles for ESADE. As a business school, we know that talent can manifest in many ways, so Clifford Chance awarding this scholarship to one of our students means a great deal to us, recognising her talent and journey, both on a personal and academic level.”
The next call for the scholarship for students in Europe will be in autumn 2022.
