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Planning a career change?
The McGrigors Scholarship is designed to help you do this.
Each year around 35 trainee solicitors join McGrigors in our offices across the UK. Their skills, drive and experience contribute to McGrigors' strengths as well as to our diversity. Trainees who have spent time working in another field before taking up law bring additional depth and variety of experience; when combined with legal training, the result is a valuable, deeper perspective on client relationships and commercial legal service. At McGrigors we encourage all our trainees to develop these skills, and candidates with experience of other jobs or professions are of particular interest to us.
If you have already worked in a different field and are now retraining for a career in law, the McGrigors Scholarship could help you. As a winner of a McGrigors Scholarship you would benefit from financial support to help you through university and enjoy exciting career prospects for the future. Please read the "Key Features" section below to find out more.
Key features of the MCGRIGORS SCHOLARSHIP:
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Eligible applicants: students returning to study a two-year or three-year Scottish LLB, and retraining after leaving an established career in another field (for example, business, industry, science, armed forces, etc). (See full criteria below.)
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The Scholarship commenced in the 2007-2008 academic year and will run annually thereafter.
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Up to five scholarships will be awarded each year.
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Commitment by McGrigors to each Scholarship winner (see below for more detail):
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payment of £2,000 towards fees and / or costs of study for each year of studying a two-year accelerated LLB or a three-year ordinary LLB, provided the Scholarship winner continues to meet acceptable standards and the commitments set out opposite.
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Guarantee of summer placement after year 1 (or year 2, if doing three-year course).
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Guarantee of interview for traineeship before completing the LLB course. McGrigors does not guarantee to offer a traineeship, but does guarantee to consider each Scholarship winner for a traineeship with the firm.
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Guarantee of shortfall funding towards the postgraduate Diploma costs (max £1,000, as at present), provided a traineeship has been offered by McGrigors and accepted.
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Commitment required by each Scholarship winner to McGrigors (each winner will be required to accept these terms in writing):
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Commitment to completing the LLB and postgraduate Diploma to acceptable standards and over consecutive years.
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Commitment to pursuing law as a career on completing these study courses.
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Commitment to completing a summer placement with McGrigors between mutually suitable dates.
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Commitment to accepting a traineeship offer from McGrigors, if this is offered, in preference to traineeship offers from any other sources.
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Commitment to reimbursing McGrigors for all moneys or fees paid if required under the terms of the criteria for candidates set out below.
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Application process –
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A Scholarship Application Form can be found on the McGrigors website at www.mcgrigors.com. Please click on Careers / Graduate Recruitment to access the form.
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Deadline for applications: The deadline for applications for 2008-2009 academic year is 31 October 2008. All applications will be reviewed and responded to; appropriate candidates will be invited for interview and decisions will be advised in early December 2008.
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Criteria for candidates:
An "established career in business, industry, science, armed forces, etc" is likely to include working for a minimum of four years, with appropriate progression in a specific field, plus achieving any relevant professional examinations/ qualifications.
Each candidate who meets this criterion must also:
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Have been offered and accepted a place on the relevant LLB course, with the university's written confirmation of this.
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Be able to convince us that they intend to pursue a career in law once they complete their degree and retraining.
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Be prepared to keep in touch with McGrigors during the Scholarship period, and provide progress reports (for example, exam results, university feedback, etc.)
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Start and complete the relevant LLB course and postgraduate Diploma to the best of their ability, and to meet standards that are acceptable to the university and to McGrigors. Any moneys paid to the individual and/or fees paid to the university must be repaid by the individual in the event of leaving the course through own choice or poor performance.
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Join McGrigors as a trainee solicitor on completing the relevant LLB course and postgraduate Diploma, should McGrigors decide to offer a traineeship. In the event that any candidate decides not to pursue a career as a solicitor, or decides not to accept a traineeship offered by McGrigors, any moneys paid to the individual and/or fees paid to the university must be repaid to McGrigors by the individual.
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Detail on payment of scholarship:
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McGrigors will pay the appropriate annual amount to each Scholarship winner in two equal amounts during the academic year (likely to be September 2008 / February 2009); alternatively, arrangements may be made to pay the equivalent amounts to the relevant university towards fees. Detailed arrangements will be discussed with each Scholarship winner.
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If a Scholarship winner elects to study the LLB on a part-time basis, then the total amount payable for full-time study will be pro-rated over the study period (e.g. two-year accelerated LLB studied over four years would attract a Scholarship payment of £1,000 per annum).
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McGrigors reserves the right to
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reduce the number of Scholarships awarded in any year should the quality of candidates not meet our requirements.
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withdraw future funding at any stage from any Scholarship winner if they are not achieving acceptable standards and / or not meeting the other commitments required (as set out above and agreed in writing at the commencement of the Scholarship award).
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