Aspiring legal eagles from disadvantaged backgrounds will have the opportunity to gain top experience at an international law firm.

Year 9 pupils from Harris Academy in Greenwich will be offered a programme of inspirational lectures and practical career workshops from delivered by lawyers from Stephenson Harwood.

The programme, called Access to Professions - Law, launched by The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, will also offer ten pupils from the school one-to-one mentoring and work experience at Stephenson Harwood.

Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, Founder and External Director of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, said: "We hope that this programme will raise the aspirations and confidence of these young people and inspire them to pursue professional careers later in life and in turn create positively diverse professional workforces of the future."

The main aim of Access to Professions - Law, is to raise the aspirations of young people from the school and broaden their understandings of careers in law as well as build up their skills and confidence.

Access to Professions - Law was launched at Stephenson Harwood's offices near Liverpool Street..

Sue Millar, partner at Stephenson Harwood, said: "We are delighted to partner with the students and the Trust, and to play a part in helping improve access to the legal profession for people from disadvantaged backgrounds."

She also said that Stephenson Harwood were happy to support the programme to help young people realise their full potential and to encourage the best possible talent pool of future lawyers The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust is a national education charity who aim to transform the lives of young people and achieve social change.

Sonia Watson, Deputy Chief Executive of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, said: "Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds do not generally have access to networks of professionals in industries such as Law and thanks to our fantastic partnerships at the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust is in a unique position to be able to change that."