Fast-growing Birmingham law firm FBC Manby Bowdler is celebrating double success at a prestigious awards ceremony.
The firm – which has bases in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Knowle, Worcestershire and Shropshire – scooped the Promoting Apprenticeships award at the Signature Awards in Birmingham.
FBC Manby Bowdler chief executive Neil Lloyd was also highly commended in the Business Person of the Year category.
Neil said the award for FBC Manby Bowdler’s apprenticeship programme was particularly significant, coming at the start of National Apprenticeship Week.
“We are very proud to win the apprenticeship award because it reflects years of investment in nurturing the next generation of talent and taking a lead in opening up a career in the legal profession to all.
“For too long our profession has recruited solely from public schools and universities, excluding candidates from lower socio-economic backgrounds, mature learners and underrepresented communities.
“We recognised we were missing out on a huge pool of talent and launched our apprenticeship scheme in 2016. Since then, we have welcomed 23 legal apprentices and 17 business support apprentices and currently have 19 apprentices all in the pipeline to qualify by 2030.
“This award is a tribute to all of those apprentices and also our fantastic director of people and culture Sarah Bond-Williams and our training partner Claire Bentick who have worked tirelessly to make the scheme such a success.”
Neil said he was also thrilled to have been highly commended as business person of the year but stressed the success was that of the whole firm.
“I am fortunate to be at the head of a thriving firm which has a wonderful can-do culture and a team of the best lawyers and business support staff around. They are the reason our firm is growing so quickly and is in such a good position and so my award is really for each of them.”
FBC Manby Bowdler is the founding firm of the Adeptio Law Group, established to create a major national legal services platform. It is one of the region’s most successful law firms, employing more than 200 people and with plans to double its size in the coming years.
The Signature Awards celebrate the best in business across the West Midlands, with a particular focus on firms and individuals who have demonstrated cutting-edge thinking to drive their organisations forward.
