We want to give our staff the opportunity to grow and develop, allowing them to derive satisfaction from career progression. We seek to provide them with the training they need to achieve this and stay at the forefront of giving the best possible advice, whether this is in one of our legal or support teams.
We invest in the training and development of our staff both internally and externally in terms of soft skills, professional, technical, induction and on the job training. We have a six monthly appraisal process where training is discussed and progressed. The firm has a dedicated learning and development and engagement officer.
Stephensons typically has around ten apprentices across the firm. Managers can recommend members of their team for qualifications. For example, support staff are often accredited by their professional bodies and have undertaken funded diplomas. We have an online training portal, The Learning Hub, where training can be completed remotely making it as easy as possible for our staff to access.
Careers, progressions and qualifications are celebrated across the firm. We believe in investing in training heavily and as a result we have several examples of staff who originally came to us for work experience and progressed all the way through to senior levels.
Here is an example of the training opportunities we provide to our staff:
“ I joined Stephensons over 15 years ago as a marketing manager in a standalone position. Since that time, the marketing team has grown, and I have received external management and coaching sessions to learn some soft skills and to help me in my management role as my team expanded. I have also been given the opportunity to progress my professional skills. Whilst working at the firm I became a fellow with the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and the firm supported my application and my professional accreditation. They have also further supported my independent study with the Digital Marketing Institute to gain a professional diploma. After being appointed as an associate, I then went through our partnership process, where I was mentored and supported. I then became one of two non solicitor partners in 2013. I have had many people who have supported me during my time at Stephensons, generously giving their time to help me expand my own knowledge and understanding which is invaluable.” - Sarah Boustouller, non- solicitor partner and marketing director
Investors In People
The firm has been Investors In People accredited since 1996, and it seeks through different channels of communication to have a deep understanding of our staff and what motivates them. We are also Lexcel accredited and the importance that we place on knowledge sharing is recognised:
“People management is very good. Line managers are thought to be very effective – good at people management and coaching and knowledge sharing. People continue to be encouraged to develop their skills and qualifications, for the good of the individual and the firm.” - Anne Milne, Lexcel 2022