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Learning by doing

The Kalisher Trust was set up in 1996 in memory of Michael Kalisher QC to help talented students with financial constraints who would otherwise be lost to the criminal Bar. The Trust funds four students through the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) every year, and provides a number of bursaries. It also offers a series of substantial internships, giving students practical experience in leading legal organisations such as Justice, the Criminal Cases Review Commission and the Centre for Capital Punishment Studies.
5 minute read

International Edition

Linklaters hikes trainee maintenance grants by up to 40%

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.
2 minute read

International Edition

BSB confirms introduction of mandatory £150 Bar aptitude test

All aspiring barristers will have to pass a £150 aptitude test from April this year, with the Bar Standards Board (BSB) yesterday (20 February) confirming its formal introduction following a lengthy consultation. The Bar Course Aptitude Test (BCAT) will now be a mandatory requirement for all students looking to qualify as a barrister, with students applying for the bar able to register for the BCAT from 1 March 2013, and take the test from 3 April 2013.
3 minute read

International Edition

CC and Thomson Reuters team up for online anti-bribery training initiative

Clifford Chance (CC) has teamed up with Thomson Reuters to launch an e-learning programme focusing on competition, antitrust, anti-corruption and anti-bribery. The joint initiative has seen the magic circle firm and the information provider work together to draw up online courses for financial services firms and corporates, which can be monitored on a real-time basis by HR and compliance staff.
2 minute read

International Edition

Shake-up of legal education faces new delay as review report is pushed back

The Legal Education and Training Review (LETR), the long-awaited investigation into standards of legal education in the UK, has been further delayed, with the research team's report now not expected to be released before this May. The review, billed as the most fundamental examination of legal education and training since the Ormrod report of 1971, is looking at the pros and cons of the removal of certain elements of the current system, citing the issue of the 'bottleneck' created by current qualification paths such as the training contract.
2 minute read

International Edition

Opportunity for all? Non-uni qualification route raises fears of two-tier profession

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:
4 minute read

International Edition

KPMG in talks over PRIME-style work experience scheme for accountants

KPMG has entered into talks with the founders of the groundbreaking legal social mobility venture PRIME, which could see the big four auditor forge an equivalent model for the accountancy profession. The company is in early stage discussions with Allen & Overy (A&O), one of the founders of PRIME, about the work experience-focused programme, which was launched by 23 law firms in September 2011 in a bid to increase diversity and access to the legal profession.
4 minute read

International Edition

Follow the leader – why accountancy and law should swap notes on diversity

With a reputation for conservatism over innovation, it isn't often that law firms set the pace in the wider professional community. But this week's news that KPMG is hoping to create the accounting world's own version of the much-lauded PRIME social mobility scheme marks a rare example of the legal industry doing just that.
3 minute read

International Edition

Partners back apprenticeships into law but fear trainees will struggle for acceptance

Moves to establish an apprenticeship route to the profession have drawn considerable support from senior lawyers, despite fears that such candidates will struggle to compete with university-track practitioners. The latest Legal Week Big Question survey comes after news last month that BPP Law School is in talks to create a vocational job route, which could help non-traditional candidates qualify as solicitors.
5 minute read

Legal Week

Follow the leader – why accountancy and law should swap notes on diversity

With a reputation for conservatism over innovation, it isn't often that law firms set the pace in the wider professional community. But this week's news that KPMG is hoping to create the accounting world's own version of the much-lauded PRIME social mobility scheme marks a rare example of the legal industry doing just that.
6 minute read

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