Press Release
Legal Services Commission increases investment in next generation of legal aid solicitors
11 March 2005
During a visit to the College of Law’s Legal Advice Centre today, Clare Dodgson, Chief Executive of the Legal Services Commission (LSC), announced that the LSC’s training support grants scheme would now operate on a rolling basis, with 100 grants being awarded annually from 2005.
The move guarantees the long-term future of legal aid training grants, first offered to Legal Practice Course students and trainee solicitors by the LSC in 2002.
Whilst at the Legal Advice Centre, Clare met Pamela Robotham, a housing law specialist solicitor with over 20 years experience, who has been recruited by the College of Law, as a result of £180,000 funding from the LSC, to run a three year pilot casework training scheme in the Legal Advice Centre, which will enable students to gain experience in social welfare law and publicly funded legal services.
Speaking during the visit, Clare said: "Ensuring the next generation of legal aid solicitors is a key priority for the LSC. I am delighted we are able to make training grants available on a permanent basis. The LSC’s investment in the next generation of legal aid solicitors already stands at nearly £10million. The training grants provided so far will translate into nearly 400 newly qualified solicitors working in legal aid. Each of these new solicitors will make a difference to people’s lives.
"I am also very pleased to have had the opportunity to meet Pamela Robotham and her students. I’m sure the students will gain great satisfaction from the cases they will work on through the pilot casework training scheme, which I have no doubt will confirm to them that legal aid is a very positive career choice."
Pamela Robotham added: "The pilot casework training scheme is an exciting project offering students an introduction to publicly funded legal practice and practical social welfare law in a supportive environment. It is important that we encourage students to become social welfare lawyers."
Commenting on Clare’s announcement, David Lammy MP, Legal Aid minister, said: "I am very pleased to welcome the LSC grants scheme which supports trainee solicitors who want to develop legal aid practices and perhaps work for not-for-profit organisations. Legal aid provides access to justice for the most vulnerable in society and helps to prevent social exclusion. I am particularly pleased that last year three-quarters of the grant recipients were women and one-fifth came from an ethnic minority background."
Organisations who wish to apply for a training grant should call 020 7759 0304 or email contract.design@legalservices.gov.uk.
Media information
Richard Shand Tel: 020 7759 0491
Notes to editors
1. Currently 387 grants have been provided to 338 solicitor and 49 not-for-profit organisations to support the training of new legal aid solicitors.
2. The training support grants meet:
The tuition fees of students on the one-year Legal Practice Course (LPC), which can cost over £8,000.
75% of the Law Society’s minimum salary and the cost of professional skills courses for successful LPC students on training contracts with a solicitor organisation. This amounts to about £20,000 over a two-year period.
Solicitors can recruit someone who has completed the LPC and can start their training contract immediately. Alternatively, they can recruit an LPC student who, on completion of their course, will join the organisation on a training contract.
3. The grants are provided on the grounds that the newly qualified solicitor remains in the employment of the solicitor organisation, and engaged in legal aid work, for at least two years after completing their training contract.
4. The Legal Advice Centre is located at the Store Street campus of the College of Law in London.
5. The Legal Advice Centre has just marked five years of providing free legal services to the public.
6. Pamela Robotham formerly worked for Deptford Housing Aid Centre. Pamela was a housing law lecturer for three years at South Bank University and worked for ten years at Glazer Delmar Solicitors, a large legal aid practice, in Peckham, South East London.
7. Photographs of the visit are available from Richard Shand.
Last updated: 28 December 2006