Government plans to support an apprenticeship route to qualification as a solicitor – in conjunction with BPP Law School – have made headline news in recent weeks, with many lauding the move as a key step forward for social mobility in the legal profession. Legal Week's recent Big Question survey on the subject found lawyers split on whether such a move would be positive for diversity or instead create a two-tier profession. Here are some of the best responses:

"Clients expect providers of legal advice to have a high level of intellect. I don't see how school leavers, not having been academically challenged in a university environment or similar, can attain this purely by work-based training. I suspect they will be treated like office juniors for much of the early part of their careers." Anon

"This kind of idea has been discussed in different guises for many years and inevitably raises the spectre of a two-tier profession, which is not good for any individuals or firms." Anon