BOWMANS IS THE FIRST IN AFRICA TO HOST A VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE PROGRAMME

Leading African law firm, Bowmans, has launched a free Virtual Experience Programme for students to gain practical skills and experience in corporate law.

Believed to be the first-of-its-kind on the continent, the programme adds Bowmans to the ranks of global leaders such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Linklaters and White & Case who are giving students much-needed work experience that they can complete remotely from anywhere in the world.

The programme was created by subject matter experts at Bowmans together with virtual work experience programme service provider Forage to provide students the much-needed opportunity to gain experience in five key areas of specialisation: banking and finance, mergers and acquisitions, employment, litigation, and competition.

‘Our virtual experience programme is an exciting step in the journey that students take to become accomplished lawyers in a corporate law firm. It gives them a real sense of the day-to-day activities of corporate lawyers,’ says  Bohlale Paile, graduate recruitment manager at Bowmans.

The pandemic has made it more challenging for students to gain real-world work experience and the Virtual Experience Programme provides a solution to this. It replaces Bowmans’ Vacation Programme in the short-term because it is no longer possible to host law students at the firm’s offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Presented via video and through text-based instructions and material, the programme is self-paced and takes approximately 12 hours to complete. It allows students to compare their work with real model solutions from Bowmans. Students receive a certificate to supplement their CVs on successfully completing the programme.  

‘This helps build confidence and provides evidence of experience that they can leverage in interviews’, adds Paile.

‘It also gives students a taste of what it would be like to complete their articles at Bowmans.’

If you are ambitious, hardworking and eager to develop valuable practical skills to assist you in becoming South Africa’s next top corporate lawyer, Bowmans wants to help you. Register for the Virtual Experience Programme now.