Linklaters is raising the maintenance grants it pays its future trainees by up to 40% from this year, as part of a push to attract a more diverse range of students.

Prospective trainees sponsored by the magic circle firm currently receive a grant of £5,000 towards the cost of completing the seven-month Legal Practice Course (LPC), which Linklaters currently requires students to complete at the University of Law in London. This will rise to £7,000 from 1 April 2013.

Students completing the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), which can be studied at any University of Law campus across the UK, will see their maintenance grants increase from £7,000 to £8,000 if studying in London and from £6,000 to £7,000 if studying elsewhere.

"We want to attract the best people, no matter what their background," said Linklaters graduate recruitment partner Simon Branigan.

"Over recent years we have made a strong commitment to participating in a range of access schemes designed to reach students from a diverse range of backgrounds. We are aware that many of our future trainees cannot rely on financial support from their families and we are keen to support them so they can focus on achieving a good standard of results from law school, rather than worrying about money."

In 2011, Linklaters reduced its maintenance grant from £7,000 to £5,000 when the LPC was shortened from a year to seven months. The course, which combines traditional classroom teaching alongside an online tutorial system, involves a three-week programme of online study.

Maintenance grants are often paid in addition to legal fees to students who have secured sought-after training contracts with City firms.