Are the students of today ready for the legal sector of tomorrow – and more importantly, is the law ready for them?

Over a year ago Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP), in association with Legal Week, set up the Turning Points hub to answer these and many other challenging questions. The hub was created as a unique space for the lawyers of tomorrow (and today) to start an open conversation about the personal turning points affecting legal careers now and in the future.

When it first launched, the Hub lifted the lid on the expectations of current law students as they begin forging their careers, and went on to host some seriously career-boosting/inspiring turning (and learning) points from some of the great and good of the profession today.

As a new academic years kicks off, we've turned to the student community once again to get its views on two of the most vital issues shaping the future of the legal profession now – social diversity and alternative routes into the industry.

There are new initiatives from bodies governing the legal industry like the Law Society alongside a greater understanding from law firms that they need fresh types of applicants with different qualities and skills to meet the requirements of clients in today's market. The challenges of a changing legal landscape have meant that the soft launch of newer routes into law is quickly snowballing into accepted practice across the industry.

Elsewhere, campaigners are keeping up the pressure on social diversity in the legal sector; diversity statistics are now given just as much credence as firms' financial performance in the eyes of clients, and newer routes into law are frequently billed as a way of cracking this issue.

But while the conversation around entry into the profession may have widened out from simply the law degree, conversion course and training contract formula, have the attitudes of those who it affects the most – the students trying to qualify – changed radically too?

We're keen to find out about what the next generation of lawyers really think about these new routes into law and the issue of social diversity within the profession – is securing a training contract still the be all and end all, or does an earn-while-you-learn scheme seem a good way to go? Should law firms prioritise commercial, non-legal qualifications in their search for the best talent to take their firms into the future? How much will your own social background impact on your future career in the law?

We recently conducted a survey on these issues and more – look out for a write-up of the results on the Turning Points hub in the coming weeks.

This article was commissioned for the Turning Points hub, an online career development resource from Legal Week in association with Berwin Leighton Paisner.