What We Do

Who are we?

MiLNet is a group of ex-Military and Reservist law firm employees based in London, representing a wide range of UK and US law firms globally.

We are a volunteer group which was set up by Herbert Smith Freehills and Clifford Chance, in 2018, with the aim of establishing and sustaining a network supporting military veterans and reservists in the legal industry and to advocate their skills and experience to employers.

MiLNet has four key objectives:

To promote recruitment opportunities in the legal sector for the military community.
To promote best practice in employing veterans and reservists and encourage legal employers to participate in the Armed Forces Covenant and Employers' Recognition Scheme.
To develop a military network within the legal industry.
To support military charities.

Learn more - take a look at our brochure

Who do we represent?

We are a mixture of lawyers and business support staff, across a range of large firms with offices in the United Kingdom.

MiLNet activities are guided by a Steering Committee of 14 individuals, which meets on a regular basis to drive and deliver the stated objectives.

There are around 50 member firms, representing approximately 20,000 roles in the legal sector in the UK and US.

About the UK Legal Sector

There are approximately 12,000 law firms across the UK employing an estimated 320,000 people. The revenue these firms generate is estimated at over £35billion

The legal profession works closely with the financial services sector which has a number of similar organisations to MiLNet to help veterans, reservists and their families find and thrive in employment in the professional service industries.

The legal profession is a great career for those leaving the Armed Forces and many successful lawyers have had other careers before going into the law. Wider ‘life experience’ is always welcomed and appreciated by legal recruiters. However, it does require significant further study (and so personal financial investment) which is not for everyone. There are also a significant number of reservists who are practicing lawyers.

The law is not just a traditional profession but also a thriving business and the same roles are on offer in a law firm as in other businesses, such as finance, human resources, IT, marketing, facilities management, etc. In comparison to other sectors a role in one of these functions can be hugely rewarding in a law firm. In fact many law firms are now going out to hire senior business leaders from other sectors, including the military, to allow its senior lawyers, who historically have managed their firms, to concentrate on providing legal advice to their clients.

With a well-targeted resettlement programme a service leaver can use their knowledge and skills learnt in the military with newly acquired hard skills to start a successful non-legal role with a law firm as many in MiLNet will testify. From a human resources manager to an IT support analyst to the CEO you will find many highly valued veterans and reservists in all variety of roles within the legal profession.

Why should firms work with MiLNet?

We work closely the MOD and their recognised resettlement partner, CTP, and with the Officers' Association as well as other networks such as City Veterans CIC and VETS to promote and provide access to a pool of highly skilled talent that your firm may have little visibility of.

Benefits for law firms:

MiLNet is completely free and with no obligation.
MiLNet will help you to build a profile and attract the very best ex-Military skilled staff in the market.
MiLNet can support you in your own events, or you can join ours.
MiLNet supports the Armed Forces Covenant.
MiLNet can help you with your HR policies supporting ex-military and reservist roles.

What qualities can Service Leavers bring to the legal sector?

Leadership – whether Fee Earner or Business Service role, the training and experience that Service Leavers can bring to bear in leading and motivating teams, seizing the initiative, engaging with stakeholders, providing challenge when required and driving projects to delivery are highly valued.
Teamwork – whether it's a new client matter or the latest internal project, individuals are often thrust together at short notice to deliver results. The experience of Service Leavers to quickly integrate themselves and work as a team are highly applicable in the Sector.
Resilience and Agility – service personnel have operated and been tested throughout their careers in high pressure and often austere environments. In these situations the task or role they perform can be constantly changing. The Forces' ability to support the Civil Authorities during the Covid-19 Pandemic at little notice is yet another example of the agility inherent in Service Leavers.
Selfless commitment – the Legal Sector is fast moving and pressured so whilst different work it is a tempo and environment that Service Leavers are familiar with.
Courage – despite the stereotypes, the modern military exercises 'mission command', which encourages subordinates to analyse and challenge the tasks they are given. The training of mission command produces individuals that have the courage to challenge constructively, to add value and identify flaws.
Diversity – Service Leavers may well come from different backgrounds to many in your organisation and will certainly have a different experience base, which enables then to bring a diversity of perspective into your teams and to the issues your organisation is addressing.
Sense of Humour – the age old military adage, 'if you can't take a joke you shouldn't have joined', is the basis of the individual resilience a Service Leaver has and what makes them so central to the success of a team when faced with a significant challenge.

What skills can you expect from your Service Leaver?

Fee Earners – ability to work in hierarchical environments, ability to process significant volumes of data, deliver clear and compelling communications, initiative and the ability to work independently, creative thinking, plus many of those listed below.
Business services – organisational, project & change management, specialist functional & specific roles skills (ie Cyber/IT), personnel management, stakeholder engagement, plus many of those listed above.

How you can get involved:

Support or host events to the military community.

Educate your firm on the skills and benefits of employing from the military community.

Sign the Armed Forces Covenant to demonstrate your support for the military community.

Join us for one of our events including CV and interview workshops.

Create an internal military network for your colleagues and encourage networking and allies across the business.

Review your HR policies and processes - we can help with this.

Identify and encourage fundraising for military charities.

Support the Reserves and your own reservist colleagues.

You can find more information which may be of use to prospective employers here.

Learn more