I was introduced to KWM through chance in 2019 during the first year of my degree at UTS. I was invited to attend a co-design workshop with other First Nations law students from UTS to provide feedback for a work placement program specifically for First Nations law students at KWM. I initially had no intention of attending this workshop as I was incredibly intimidated by the corporate environment and did not think that I would be able to provide any impactful feedback for a program of this nature. However, after multiple discussions with students and staff at the university about the future impact that a program like this could have for other students, I decided to attend.
Not long after this session, I was notified that KWM had developed this program and was encouraged to apply. I did not think that I deserved a place on the program due to my complicated relationship with my identity, which led me to miss the original application deadline. I was later informed that the deadline had been extended and took that as a sign to give it a go. As it turns out, applying was one of the best choices I could’ve made. Over the summer I’ll be trading my paralegal role for a place in KWM’s summer clerkship cohort, and excited for what lies ahead!
Giving underrepresented talent a say in shaping the mechanisms we design to lift them up has helped to make those initiatives more effective. In this article, we share:
- What this looks like designing, delivering, and measuring programs across KWM Community Impact’s social mobility platform
- Community Impact’s business case, successes, and challenges.
What is social mobility?
Historically, there’s been an imbalance in the socio-economic diversity within the legal profession and it is our mission to address that. Despite being heralded as the land of the fair go, in Australia the reality is that you are much more likely to stay on the same band and career cycle as your parents rather than advance. Social mobility is about an individual’s ability to break down intergenerational barriers in order to enjoy more fruitful, more advanced working lives than their parents or their grandparents before them. It also refers to a person’s ability to access resources and improve their standard of living in comparison to the generations that came before them. It’s about people’s ability to progress beyond their class bands within communities. KWM’s social mobility platform seeks to contribute towards increased social mobility across the legal sector.
A First Nations focus
At KWM, we recognise that for too long Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been excluded from Australian legal systems. This has contributed to the harm that legal systems have caused and is a factor in the underrepresentation of First Nations people across the legal profession. KWM’s social impact practice, Community Impact, is focussed on transformational partnerships and systems progress to create sustained generational change. Key to that systems change is having young First Nations people meaningfully engaging and contributing to structural reform and the increased representation of First Nations young people in the legal sector.
Our response
Elevating Young People & Their Voices is a key pillar in Standing Strong & Tall Together, Community Impact’s 5 year blueprint of impact. Under this pillar, we work to create the following outcomes:
- We contribute to young people being more aware of & having improved access to, educational & employment pathways.
- Young people develop valuable networks within the legal sector.
- Young people have increased opportunities to meaningfully engage & contribute to structural reform.
- We contribute to increased representation of First Nations young people in the legal sector.
You can read more about the blueprint here.
Our approach aims to provide earlier and more frequent opportunities for younger people to connect with the firm, our partners and the wider profession than the traditional clerkship model.
To achieve this, we sat down and listened to young people tell us what was important to them in career related program that they would want to participate in. Their feedback built the framework for our programs and how we recruit for them. For example, with Waiwa Mudena, First Nations law students told us that asking for academic transcripts can create an impression that a certain grade point average is required to be eligible for the program. Students explained that this may cause some students to opt out of the process. So, we don’t ask for academic transcripts across any of our social mobility programs. Instead, we ask candidates to tell us about themselves, their career goals and how they see our social mobility programs assisting them to achieve those ambitions.
The business case
Attracting and retaining skilled labour is business leaders’ top concern. Creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce is their highest ranking ESG priority (Directions 2022). We know that young people from underrepresented backgrounds often lack the networks and personal support to assist them to break into an increasingly competitive job market. Co-designing our social mobility programs together with the people we want to lift is enabling us to find and nurture diverse talent.
KWM’s social mobility ethos is a key part of our firm’s employee value proposition. It is meaningful for our partners and staff to give back and support the development of the next generation of aspiring legal practitioners.
Chloe: During my time on the 2019 pilot, I was introduced to commercial law through the Environment Planning and Native Title team, had the opportunity to attend networking sessions with in-house legal counsel at Tabcorp and AGL and got to develop relationships with other First Nations law students at my university that I had not previously met.
In December 2020, I was notified through the Waiwa Mudena Alumni Network that two Paralegal positions were available in the KWM Community Impact team. I applied and was subsequently successful for a role working directly with Megan Barnett-Smith to assist with the administration of KWM’s social mobility programs; KWM School of Opportunity, Waiwa Mudena and the First Nations Fellowship.
Thanks to KWM network of community partners, I was introduced to Justice Reinvestment. I was able to utilise one of my subjects at university this semester to intern with Just Reinvest NSW, an opportunity that I would never have been aware of without the networks I have made at KWM. I also took on the challenge of applying for Clerkships this year and was fortunate enough to accept an offer from KWM.
A snapshot of some of our social mobility programs:
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KWM School of Opportunity
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KWM School of Opportunity® is a 6 month paid training and employment pathways program, designed and delivered in collaboration with The Smith Family, ANZ and Transurban. It aims to assist young people from disadvantaged backgrounds develop job-readiness and industry-specific skills via: a 30 day paid work placement in our Shared Services & Support teams; skills based workshops designed and delivered by KWM, ANZ and Transurban; mentoring, buddying and networking opportunities. The program takes up to 10 students each year. |
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First Nations Fellowship
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KWM First Nations Fellowship is our holistic networking, mentoring and financial support Fellowship for First Nations first year law students. The First Nations Fellowship aims to contribute towards increased representation of First Nations people across the legal profession. Fellows connect with a KWM mentor and our esteemed Fellowship Ambassadors and receive a contribution towards the cost of their degree. |
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Waiwa Mudena
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Waiwa Mudena connects aspiring First Nations practitioners with examples of numerous career pathways available in law. Co-designed with and for First Nations law students, this uniquely flexible, immersive 30 day paid work placement and professional skill development program takes a long-term, holistic and flexible approach to increasing First Nations representation in the legal sector. Cadets spend time in both KWM legal teams and on secondment with partnering Aboriginal Legal Services, Community Legal Centres, government related justice agencies, government departments, in house legal teams and barristers. The program takes up to 15 cadets each year. |
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CDU Pre-Law Enabling Program
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KWM sponsors a student to participate in Charles Darwin University’s First Nations Pre-Law enabling program. The program aims to remove barriers preventing First Nations peoples considering the study of law by providing foundational skills to be successful in law school. |
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Joshua Creamer and Kara Cook Excellence in Law Award
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KWM funds this scholarship for penultimate and final year female Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander students studying law at Griffith University and aims to increase the number of female, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander barristers practicing at the Queensland Bar. |
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The KWM Scholarship
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The KWM Scholarship and our multi-year partnership with The Pinnacle Foundation is a joint initiative of KWM Community Impact and LINK, KWM’s LGBTIQ+ Inclusion Network. The 3 year Scholarship supports a marginalised or disadvantaged LGBTIQ+ young adult to study law in Australia. |
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Click here for more information about these programs.
Is it working?
Social mobility is ultimately measured across generations. However, we closely watch the number of alumni who transition into secure employment at the conclusion of their university degrees. The impact metric for Waiwa Mudena is the number of alumni who transition into careers in the legal sector. We stay in touch with all young people who have been through our social mobility programs, providing ongoing support and continually feeding career opportunities that arise within our ecosystem, into our alumni network.
23% of KWM School of Opportunity® alumni have gone on to be employed at the firm across both Shared Services & Support and legal teams. 43% of Waiwa Mudena alumni have been subsequently engaged by KWM, including in 4 paralegal and 9 clerkship roles. Aside from these direct recruitments, KWM has facilitated multiple other job opportunities with strategic clients and community partners.
A major focus going forward is ensuring alignment between social mobility programs and whole of business career development opportunities to maximise opportunities for short term internships to translate into longer-term career opportunities. Short-term placements, that don’t translate to longer-term career outcomes risks looking tokenistic. So we’re focused on that metric, recongising there’s more work to be done ensuring it is the focus of a really long-term strategy..
What’s next
Recognising there’s plenty more to be done, we’re committed to continuous improvement, especially via feedback from our program participants.
Chloe: “Over the past four years, I have witnessed Waiwa Mudena expand from a Sydney-based pilot with 4 cadets to a national program that supports 15 cadets annually and I am incredibly excited to see where this program goes next”.
“As I transition from KWM paralegal to clerk, I recognise the positive impact that Waiwa Mudena has had on my personal and professional life. The relationships I have developed with the students on the First Nations Fellowship and Waiwa Mudena combined with the continuing support and guidance from the Community Impact team have helped me to embrace my identity and encourage me to pursue my legal career.
My journey at KWM has cemented my desire to give back and provide others with the same opportunities that I have benefitted from. It has also encouraged me to reflect on my privilege and recognise the importance of social mobility programs to promote equal opportunities for all individuals, not just those who are conveniently located within Australia’s major cities.
In 2023, KWM will look to create more access to employment opportunities for young people from underrepresented backgrounds. We’re proud to be contributing to developing the future pipeline of talent to evolve our people experience and grow our business for the future. Plans include:
- Expanding our social mobility platform internationally
- Piloting an innovative entry level employment initiative for young people in Western Sydney/South Western Sydney
- Launching our Pre-Tertiary Program
- Staying in touch with our 100+ alumni who have completed our programs
If you would like to discuss how your organisation might collaborate with KWM on any of the above initiatives, reach out to Dan.Creasey@kwm.com.au.
