Commercial disputes paralegal Florence Lungu, who works in the Bristol office of national law firm Bond Dickinson, has won a major apprentice award for making a ‘substantial contribution’ to her employer.
Florence, 20, pictured, who has been with Bond Dickinson for two years, won the Advanced Apprentice of the Year category at the 2017 South West Regional Apprenticeship Awards. 
Organised by the National Apprenticeship Service and part of the 2017 National Apprenticeship Awards, the regional awards recognised businesses committed to growing their talent through apprenticeship schemes and showcased the apprentices who contributed most to their workplaces.
After successfully graduating from her Level 3 Advanced Legal Apprenticeship ahead of plan in July, Florence is now managing her own caseload while working as a commercial disputes paralegal.
In January she will start another apprenticeship pathway which will ultimately see her qualify as a Chartered Legal Executive.
She said: “An apprenticeship was a very easy decision for me. Earning whilst gaining a recognised legal qualification, combined with future career progression opportunities was the perfect choice for me.
“I’ll soon start another apprenticeship pathway to become a Chartered Legal Executive, have grown in confidence and will continue to share my experiences with others who also aspire to start an apprenticeship.”
Bond Dickinson deputy onshore manager Mark Norman-Ball added: “We are very proud of what Florence has achieved in the two years she has been with the firm and this award win is a tribute to her hard work, determination and deep passion to not only develop a career in law but to also inspire others to consider apprenticeships as a different avenue into a legal career.
“Hiring apprentices is absolutely the right thing to do in our sector. We wanted to create alternative routes into the legal profession and open up opportunities for young people who believe that university isn’t the right path for them.
“We are committed to developing and expanding our apprenticeship offering and to providing continued learning opportunities following our apprentices’ graduation.”
Since becoming one of the first law firms to make legal apprenticeships available in 2014, Bond Dickinson now offers graduating apprentices permanent roles and hopes to further expand the scheme across other parts of the business and locations.
The firm’s apprenticeship scheme was already rewarded earlier this year by the National Apprenticeship Service when it won Newcomer Large Employer title at the National Apprenticeship Awards.
Bond Dickinson was also named in the prestigious Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer list, which is compiled annually by the National Apprenticeship Service and recognises excellence in businesses that employ apprentices.
Winners and highly commended entries from all regions will advance to the next stages of the awards process, where they will be assessed by a national judging panel. National award winners and the Top 100 Employers will be announced at a ceremony to be held next January in London.
