Diversity Access Scheme awards scholarships to aspiring solicitors
The Law Society of England and Wales’ Diversity Access Scheme (DAS) has awarded 14 talented aspiring solicitors the sought-after scholarship to help them qualify.
DAS – which celebrates 20 years this year – aims to help improve social mobility and diversity in the legal profession by supporting people who face exceptional social, educational, financial or personal obstacles to qualifying as a solicitor.
Since its launch in 2004, DAS has provided 4,000 hours of mentoring and spent £3.5 million* supporting 300 talented trainees to pursue their career ambitions.**
Law Society president Nick Emmerson said: “In this landmark year, I am delighted to welcome 14 new students to the Diversity Access Scheme.
“I am grateful to our sponsors, the Law Society Legal Educational Trust and the many mentors and work experience hosts who have made all this possible.
“Over the last 20 years, we have had the pleasure of supporting aspiring solicitors into their chosen field and embark on their careers.
“Schemes like DAS do so much good to provide financial relief and open doors to prospective employers.
“I encourage any aspiring solicitor who is facing challenges on their way to qualification to consider applying. I also invite sponsors interested in supporting our scheme to reach out to us.”
Elli Bainton, one of the 2024 DAS awardees, said: “The DAS scholarship has provided me with the financial security and confidence to pursue a career in law.
"Coming from a working-class family in one of the most deprived areas of Wales and having attended a non-selective state school with no connections to the legal profession, this scholarship is truly life-changing for me.
“The mentoring I will receive will open doors to opportunities previously unavailable to me, allowing me to explore various areas of law and develop skills that will be invaluable in my future career.
"It is an honour that an esteemed organisation such as the Law Society sees my potential and is willing to invest in my future. I am committed to giving back and supporting others from similar backgrounds.”
Christopher Hutton, social mobility partner sponsor at Hogan Lovells, one of the founding sponsors of DAS, said: “We are delighted to have sponsored the DAS for almost all its 20 years, to create wider access to the legal industry for those from underrepresented backgrounds.
“The success of the programme has been rooted in its varied support to awardees in the form of bursaries, mentoring and work experience – tangible elements which are key in breaking down barriers to entry.
“Many DAS awardees are now senior lawyers in institutions across our sector, which is testament to the success of the programme, and we are pleased to have been able to welcome participants into our own firm.”
Rebekah, one of the 2024 DAS awardees, added: “I am incredibly grateful for the financial and other support provided by the Law Society in helping me on my journey to becoming a solicitor.
"Growing up in a low-income household in a deprived area of Liverpool, and managing the challenges of a physical disability, I have faced various barriers throughout my academic journey.
“Following four years of academic legal study, I am thrilled to be embarking on my Solicitors Qualifying Exam and qualifying legal work experience with the Law Society's support.
"I look forward to completing my solicitor qualifications and pursuing a long and fulfilling legal career as a practising solicitor.”
Leasha Lynch, an associate at Winckworth Sherwood and a member of the DAS interview panel, said: “The DAS helped remove the barriers I faced in pursuing a legal career, having come from a low socio-economic background. The key barrier being financial means to pay for the Legal Practice Course.
“It was also invaluable to have a mentor available to answer my questions about life as a lawyer, as well as applications and general advice.
"This is what led me to get back involved with DAS to mentor students on the scheme as I have been in their shoes, so I feel I have a lot of insight to offer.
“The scheme is an important part of breaking down barriers in the legal sector and improving diversity to ensure that talented legal minds are not forgotten or left behind simply by virtue of their financial or socio-economic status.”
Notes to editors
The 2024 DAS cohort will be undertaking the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) and the Legal Practice Course (LPC), as we continue to transition from the current system to the SQE.
Applications for the next cohort of Diversity Access Scheme awards will open in February 2025.
For interviews with alumni, contact Naomi Jeffreys (contact details below).
*Including equivalent cash from fee waivers.
**DAS alumni work across the breadth of the profession, 19% are in corporate and financial services, 16% in social welfare (immigration, asylum and housing), 10% in family and children, 8% in commercial law and 8% in property law. 39% work in ‘other’ areas of law.
48% of DAS alumni work in London, 8% in Yorkshire and the Humber, 9% work in the South East, 7% in the South West and 7% in the West Midlands. 21% work in ‘other’ areas of England and Wales.
The Diversity Access Scheme is sponsored by:
- NatWest Legal
- BARBRI SQE Prep
- Withers LLP
- Kingsley Napley
- Hogan Lovells
- Sackers
- S. Abraham Solicitors
- Nottingham Law School
- BPP Law School
- the University of Law
- QLTS School
- the College of Legal Practice
- the University of Law
- University of Westminster
- UBS
- the Law Society Educational Trust
- Rabobank
- Ogier
- Page Group
Find out more about the Diversity Access Scheme
All inquiries about the scheme from potential participants or sponsors can be sent to Leila Lesan at diversityaccessscheme@lawsociety.org.uk.
About the Law Society
The Law Society is the independent professional body that works globally to support and represent solicitors, promoting the highest professional standards, the public interest and the rule of law.
Press office contact: Naomi Jeffreys | 020 8049 3928