Period of implementation of the project: 

• May 2017 – ongoing
• 5 seasons completed
• 6th season started in September 2021
• Duration of internship: 4 to 6 months

Challenge: 

In the extremely competitive environment law firms face five major challenges: 

1. improve the quality of legal education of students through practical experiences;
2. offer an opportunity for law students to make first steps in pursuing their legal career and determining its subsequent direction;
3. develop skills that will be useful at the initial stage of work;
4. improve the client care level and ensure effective outstaffing of lawyers; and
5. build an effective talent pool.

Solution: 

AEQUO Friends is the first and the only of its kind online internship for undergraduate law students from Ukrainian higher education institutions and those studying abroad and intending to come back and work in Ukraine.

Qualified students get access to their online profiles. They interact through it with their mentors who assign tasks and give feedback to them online. At the same time, students may choose the tasks by types of work and try themselves in various practices.

To support a high level of involvement and the spirit of competition and cooperation among young lawyers, we use the best gamification practices. These include the scoring system, levels, points, leaders’ rating, achievements. Those instruments more than once proved to be effective in various industries and platforms.

Furthermore, from 2021 interns have an opportunity to be involved in work on significant pro bono projects, particularly, thanks to our cooperation with the UN Global Compact Network in Ukraine.

Results: 

In 2020, when the Covid-19 lockdown was imposed, it became clear how further ahead of its time the concept of Aequo Friends was. 

Target stakeholders and their benefits from the project:

STUDENTS

• internship at a leading law firm;
• internship from anywhere and anytime;
• a possibility to try hand at various practices and determine the subsequent area of practice;
• obtaining of practical skills required at the initial stages of work;
• students from various parts of the country need no spending money on living in Kyiv; and 
• a possibility of subsequent employment.

UN GLOBAL COMPACT

• nurturing the culture and value of pro bono among young generation of professionals focusing upon the ethical context of pro bono work and the interplay between social and professional motivations; 
• promoting the SDGs and the UN Global Compact Ten Principles values as an effective mechanism for a change-driven generation to advance the rule of law.

1. FIRM

• building a talent pool from the best students;
• decreased time required for finding new employees and their adaptation; and
• brand enhancement and increased loyalty to employers

1. COLLEAGUES

• a possibility of improving personal motivation management and team building skills, effective feedback;
• a possibility of delegating tasks and focusing on more strategic ones, especially during high load periods; and
• a possibility of maintaining and enhancing the students’ interest in legal practice and inspiring their future professional development.  

Category: People

Company: Aequo Law Firm

About the company: 

Aequo is one of Ukraine’s top law firms serving industry leaders in transactional and dispute resolution matters. AEQUO’s clients are leading Ukrainian and international companies and organizations. AEQUO has been named one of the most innovative law firms in Europe according to the FT Innovative Lawyers 2015-2021.

Sustainable Development Goals