Oxford University expands scheme to help aspiring lawyers from poorer homes

Thousands of aspiring lawyers from non-privileged homes will benefit from a £1m expansion of a pioneering initiative which involves the University of Oxford and 11 other institutions, with nine leading law firms.

The charity, the Sutton Trust, has announced today that for the first time, the programme, which is funded by the Legal Education Foundation, will provide support for GCSE students in years 10 and 11, as well as throughout sixth form.

Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach at the University of Oxford, Dr Samina Khan, said: ‘Oxford is committed to access and is delighted to support the Sutton Trust and TLEF to help diversify the legal profession. We look forward to working with younger children and helping them to realise their aspiration of working in the legal sector.’

The 1,800 students who are selected each year for the four-year programme, Pathways to Law, are academically able pupils from non-privileged homes. They receive support such as sessions at their host university to help apply for training contracts, CV and interview techniques, subject-specific revision sessions and legal workshops. They also attend a residential conference and receive e-mentoring from undergraduate law students. They are helped with work experience in the legal sector and can have access to internships during their university course.

Dean of the Law Faculty at the University of Oxford, Professor Anne Davies, commented: ‘In October 2013, Oxford’s Faculty of Law welcomed its first cohort of 35 students onto the Pathways to Law Programme. We are delighted that the age limit for the programme has been lowered so we can inspire even more young people from different backgrounds to enter the law profession after university.’

Recruitment for Year 10 and Year 12 pupils will begin in August 2016.

In order to qualify for a place the students are selected on the following criteria:

Be starting Year 10 or older;

Have gained 5 A’s or 5 A*’s at GCSE;

Have an interest in studying law and/or law as a career;

To be the first generation in their immediate family to attend university or be eligible for free school meals;

Attend a state school or college;

Be willing and able to commit to the programme for two years.

In addition, preference will be given to those students who are:

In schools with below average levels of attainment/progression to University;

In schools with high free school meals;

From areas where progression to university is low (defined by postcode);

Pathways to Law will be run by the University of Oxford along with Bristol University, University of Exeter, University of Leeds, University of Leicester, University of Liverpool, London School of Economics, University of Manchester, University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University, Queen Mary University of London, University of Roehampton, and University of Warwick.

Pathways to Law is funded by the Legal Education Foundation, The Law Society and nine law firms. These are: Allen & Overy, Ashurst, Clifford Chance, Cooley, DLA Piper, Eversheds, Hogan Lovells, Linklaters and Macfarlanes.

The Legal Education Foundation was set up to promote the advancement of legal education and the study of law. It was created in 2012 with the monies received from the sale of the College of Law.