The teenage  Essex winners of a competition for young entrepreneurs have been given a special prize – the chance to work at a top law practice. 
Birkett Long, one of the largest legal practices in the county, has given finalists in the Next Top Boss competition the chance to do work experience at their offices in Basildon, Colchester and Chelmsford. 
The firm threw down a challenge to test the brand marketing skills of three teams of 17-18-year-olds, who are studying for the BTec Extended Diploma in Business.  The firm chose a team called Cerebral to go forward to the final after they came up with the goods. 
Jennie Skingsley, associate and marketing manager at Birkett Long, said: “The team had to identify a fresh area of business suitable for the firm to diversify into.” 
Cerebral came up with the idea of a careers’ advice service and skills’ development programme – a topical issue at the moment, now that school careers advisers are a near extinct species. 
Team members Hajera Begum, Waheed Khan and Jay Lamb were presented with vouchers and a promise of a day’s work experience.  
Jennie said: “Cerebral managed to create an innovative, but realistic, business we could all see working for Birkett Long – it felt like something we would, and could, do.”

 

 

Picture information:
Innovative – Clive Mupati and Joshua Gerrard (team Jive), Simon Green, solicitor, Birkett Long, Hajera Begum (front, team Cerebral), Emily Brown,
solicitor, Birkett Long, Jennie Skingsley, associate and marketing manager, Birkett Long, Claire Wiles, associate solicitor, Waheed Khan (front,
Cerebral), Dylan Samuels (back, a one-man team) and Jay Lamb (Cerebral). The Cerebral trio won a day’s work experience at Birkett Long