Increase Access to Employment

Pathways to Law - Phase 4 (Year 4)

Grant: £256,667
February 10, 2019

This project supports the fourth year of the Pathways to Law Phase 4 programme which works to inspire and support academically-able students, starting in years 10 and 11, from nonprivileged backgrounds interested in a career in law. The programme links over 400 young people a year to universities and guides them to apply for a place in a law faculty. The programme includes work placements with law firms and other organisations' law departments.

The Patrick Pakenham Awards as part of the Longford Scholarships

Grant: £30,000
June 20, 2018

The Awards are part of the Longford Scholarships' programme and offer financial and specialist mentoring support to young serving and ex-prisoners who wish to study Law at university. The Patrick Pakenham scholars are managed by the Longford Trust's director. As well as offering Patrick Pakenham scholars the support of a legally-trained mentor, the trust is also able to support them in their applications to the SRA and Inns of Court and through its links with large law firms to help them find work placements and internships.

Bar Professional Training Course Market Analysis Project

Grant: £20,000
March 19, 2018

The Inns are considering delivering the BPTC to provide a flexible and accessible pathway to the qualification at a far lower cost and risk than current provision. Partly based on the advice previously given by Parthenon (part LEF-funded research), we have persuaded the BSB to allow a two part flexibly delivered BPTC in their regulations. The first part of the course will be delivered online and the second via and attended blended course that will last half an academic year. We have met (more than once) with all of the BPTC providers and it does not appear at the moment that any of them will adopt this model preferred by the profession. Recent surveys indicate that the two part BPTC would be popular and indeed would encourage access to the profession.

As advised by Parthenon, the Inns have maintained a threat of market entry and now intend to finalise a delivery proposal. To guide this, a final analysis of the BPTC market is essential. The Inns, before they make a significant financial contribution to the set-up of a course, want to conduct a detailed market analysis to ascertain the likely reaction of current providers and ensure the option of a flexible, blended learning programme meets the needs of the profession and students.

Pathways to Law - Phase 4 (Year 3)

Grant: £256,667
February 10, 2018

This is to Support the Pathways to Law Phase 4 programme which works to inspire and support academically-able students, starting in years 10 and 11, from nonprivileged backgrounds interested in a career in law. The programme links over 450 young people a year to universities and guides them to apply for a place in a law faculty. The programme includes work placements with law firms and other organisations' law departments.

Travel & Accommodation costs for Hazelwood Integrated College to attend Bar Mock Trials in London

Grant: £2,000
February 24, 2017

This project enabled 15 students from Hazelgrove Integrated College (NI) to attend the 2017 National Finals of Bar Mock Trials in London. This is the first time an integrated school in Northern Ireland has qualified for the Finals. Participation in the Bar Mock Trials has proved to be a wonderful educational experience for students from Hazelwood. It also provided an insight into the workings the Northern Ireland legal system.

Pathways to Law - Phase 4 (Year 2)

Grant: £256,667
February 10, 2017

This project supports the second year of the Pathways to Law Phase 4 programme which works to inspire and support academically-able students, starting in years 10 and 11, from nonprivileged backgrounds interested in a career in law. The programme links over 400 young people a year to universities and guides them to apply for a place in a law faculty. The programme includes work placements with law firms and other organisations' law departments.

LEDLET Summer Scheme 2017

Grant: £5,500
November 9, 2016

In July every year, LEDLET invites ten lower-sixth-form students from across Wales to spend a week in legal London undertaking legal work experience and receiving careers advice. The students are selected according to merit and means, with priority given to those from particularly underprivileged backgrounds and disadvantaged areas – factors the application form helps identify. Each applicant is profiled according to socio-economic demographic data. Lower-sixth students are targeted in order to influence their selection of universities and degree courses in advance of the oncoming autumn term.

Each student spends a day with a barrister, a day with a solicitor and a day sitting with a judge at the Old Bailey. On their last morning, they receive guidance on university applications from admissions tutors at University College London. In the evening they meet Welsh law students and lawyers, and participate in moots and educational events, which are modified each year according to feedback from the previous year’s students.

The entirety of their travel, meals and accommodation is funded by LEDLET. Bursaries are made available to those who do not own a suit and cannot afford to buy their own.

Pathways to Law - Phase 4

Grant: £300,000
February 10, 2016

The scheme, originally established in 2006 by the College of Law and Sutton Trust, is the largest programme of its kind in the UK.

The programme has targeted 17/18 year olds who have been eligible for free school meals or whose parents have not been to university. Each year over 400 students are enrolled in the programme to aid their understanding, interest and access to legal education.

Some elements are delivered by the universities (how to fill an application to university, CV and interview techniques, law workshops), law firms (work experience), e-mentoring (Brightside Trust), visit to Inner temple and Royal Courts of Justice in London etc. Over 3200 students have benefited from the programme to date.

The Phase 4 funding by the Foundation, together with funds and or support from universities, law firms and other employers will enable a further 1800 more placements over the next 4 years. The programme is also being extended to 15/16 year olds.

City Solicitors Horizons

Grant: £150,000
November 25, 2015

City Solicitors Horizons is a pilot social mobility initiative to improve access to the legal profession for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. It has been initiated by the City of London Solicitors' Company, City Solicitors' Educational Trust (CSET) and The Legal Education Foundation (TLEF), with the support of the City of London Law Society (CLLS) and leading law firms.

Over the next three years, 50 undergraduates annually will be selected to take part in a three year programme alongside their undergraduate degrees. Each intake will benefit from comprehensive classroom and one-to-one training sessions, mentoring from lawyers, and work experience from sponsoring firms.

Research has shown that bright and hard-working students from disadvantaged backgrounds still find it difficult to obtain training contracts compared with their contemporaries from more privileged backgrounds.

This problem was highlighted earlier in 2015 by the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission in its report into non-educational barriers to the elite professions. It reported that working class applicants struggle to get access to top jobs because elite firms systematically exclude working class applicants by applying a “poshness test” to gain entry. Applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds are seen as being less likely to have the soft skills and experiences required for entry into top firms.

City Solicitors Horizons will address the barriers to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds joining the legal profession by introducing a programme which will run for the duration of undergraduates' courses and will include comprehensive classroom and one-to-one training sessions, mentoring from experienced lawyers, and work experience.

The LEDLET Summer Scheme 2016

Grant: £6,500
November 10, 2015

In July every year, LEDLET invites ten lower-sixth-form students from across Wales to spend a week in legal London undertaking legal work experience and receiving careers advice. Students are selected according to merit and means, with priority given to those from particularly underprivileged backgrounds and disadvantaged areas. Lower-sixth-form students are targeted with a view to influencing their selection of universities and degree courses in advance of the oncoming autumn term and UCAS applications.

Each student spends a day with a barrister, a day with a solicitor and a day sitting with a judge at the Old Bailey. On their last morning, they receive guidance on university applications from admissions tutors at University College London. In the evening they meet Welsh law students and lawyers, and participate in moots and educational events e.g. a seminar with the Chairman of the Law Commission, and lectures at law firms.

The entirety of their travel, meals and accommodation is funded by LEDLET. Bursaries are made available to those who do not own a suit and cannot afford to buy their own.