From the high street to the high court, the legal profession should reflect the society it serves. That’s why every year The Law Society helps talented, aspiring solicitors from less advantaged backgrounds join the profession with our Diversity Access Scheme (DAS).
The DAS helps those with a lack of funding, industry contacts or opportunities qualify as solicitors by offering vital scholarships, mentoring and work experience. This year, we celebrate 20 years of our DAS which has helped around 300 aspiring solicitors enter the profession.
The current DAS application cycle opened on Wednesday 28 February, and ends on Saturday,13 April.
What does the Diversity Access Scheme offer awardees?
The DAS offers three key areas of support to awardees. Financial support through the provision of scholarships to help cover the costs of either the Legal Practice Course (LPC) or the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). The scholarships are funded by generous sponsors from the legal sector, who share the Law Society’s commitment to improving diversity and inclusion in the profession.
Support through mentoring opportunities. The DAS matches each awardee with a solicitor mentor who can provide advice, guidance, and encouragement throughout the journey to qualification. The mentors are qualified practising or non-practising solicitors who volunteer their time and expertise to support the next generation of solicitors.
Lastly, through work experience placements. The DAS arranges high-quality work placements for its awardees, giving them the opportunity to gain practical experience and exposure to different areas of law and practice in areas of interest to them. The placements are offered by a range of employers, from large firms and in-house legal teams to public sector organisations and charities.
Who can apply?
Our awardees must be those with a strong interest in becoming a solicitor; and have completed, or are in the final year of, an undergraduate degree in law, a Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), or have completed, or are in the final year of, a non-law degree and intend to take the SQE. There are no age restrictions to the DAS, and no barriers for those undertaking a career change to apply.
The Scheme is intended to support those that face one or more barriers to entering the profession. This could include those that come from a low-income household, or have experienced financial hardship; those that are the first in their family to attend higher education; those who are disabled or have a long-term health condition; those with caring responsibilities; those that have experienced discrimination or disadvantage due to their ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or other protected characteristic; and those who have faced other significant challenges or obstacles which affected their education or career prospects.
A full list of the application criteria, including exceptional circumstances can be found on our website.
Who we are reaching
Our awardee data over a five-year period has shown that we are successfully reaching the right candidates:
· 86% of DAS awardees grew up in low-income households
· 90% attended non-selective state schools
· 86% were part of the first generation of their family to go to higher education
· 31% of awardees disclosed a disability
· 44% of awardees are from Black or other minority ethnic backgrounds
Find out how the DAS has helped others and read our report on applications from the 2023 DAS round of awards.
How can you support the Diversity Access Scheme?
DAS is only possible because of the generous support of our members. As DAS enters its twentieth year, we hope that the number of awards offered can be increased and more individuals can be supported to achieve their goal of joining the legal profession.
We want to give the opportunity for as many individuals as possible to be supported by the DAS, but we need your help to make this happen. If your organisation would like to support the scheme, you can make a contribution towards fees associated with completing the LPC or SQE; offer a work placement at your organisation or mentor a student from the scheme within a particular area of law.
During 2021 we carried out a review of DAS to assess its impact and whether the scheme is working in terms of its criteria and processes. The review included evaluation interviews with existing sponsors, all of whom said that they would recommend DAS to other firms, due to a combination of:
• Excellent candidates
• The reputation of the Law Society
• Little-to-no administrative burden on the sponsors
• A rigorous application process managed by experts
The combination of a strong eligibility criteria – that is inclusive and flexible – with a rigorous application process meant the sponsors were confident that DAS receives high-quality candidates that are deserving of financial and other career support.
Should you wish to find out more information about the DAS, applying to or supporting the scheme, please get in touch at diversityaccessscheme@lawsociety.org.uk
This information has been provided by The Law Society.