Richardson: Government needs to rethink approach
Changes announced yesterday to how Level 7 apprenticeships are funded will undo “years of progress” in improving the legal profession’s diversity, the government has been told.
CILEX (the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives) said the decision to make funding available only to those aged 16 to 21 from next year would be “devastating” to women, those from ethnic minorities and those from a lower-income background.
Level 7 on the national qualifications framework is equivalent to a master’s degree. CILEX offers apprenticeships at various levels, including Level 7, while both the solicitor and forthcoming barrister apprenticeships are Level 7.
We reported yesterday that there was at the same time relief that funding had not been scrapped altogether.
CILEX said none of its current Level 7 apprentices, the majority of whom were women, would benefit from the 16-21 exemption.
President Yanthé Richardson said: “Access to justice and good law are always going to be improved when there is genuine diversity in the profession.
“Locking out routes to qualification for those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds and those with protected characteristics can surely never be a good decision. Ensuring apprenticeship routes remain inclusive and equitable is vital.
“We urge the Department for Education and government ministers to protect Level 7 apprenticeship funding, or at the very least, ring-fence funding for those most at risk of exclusion.
“Removing this support now would undo years of progress in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession.”
Leading serious injury law firm Fletchers wrote to MPs and peers earlier this year to express its concerns about cutting funding.
Lorna Bailey, its head of training and development, described the announcement as “a deeply disappointing decision” that would require anyone over 21 to have access to family or other wealth.
Only half of Fletchers’ current solicitor apprentices (with no law degree) were under 21 when they started the process of qualifying.
“Funding up to age 21 leaves no time for an apprentice to gain any work experience in order to learn that law is the career for them before committing to a six-year apprenticeship following A-levels.
“In shutting down a career path in the law for over 21-year-olds, the government’s commitment to breaking the class ceiling and giving opportunities to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds is a step backwards. The law risks returning to a middle-class profession.”
Dr Giles Proctor, chief executive of the College of Legal Practice, said the continued existence of the solicitor apprenticeship was a “win”, but the age cap “effectively removes a large number of future graduate solicitor apprentices (GSAs) from access to this legal training pathway”.
He wrote on LinkedIn: “Many smaller legal practices do not have the bandwidth and resource to fund their own training pathways; GSA programmes allow access to training opportunities for a large cohort of graduates leaving university, who would not fit the traditional training contract model.
“It allows firms to grow and retain their talent. The age restriction imposed by this policy shift removes a golden opportunity to facilitate socially mobile for paralegals, often from a variety of ethnic & socio-economic backgrounds.”
Lorcan Seery, apprenticeship manager at national firm Irwin Mitchell, wrote on LinkedIn: “While I recognise that this news may not be favourable for everyone, I am pleased with this compromise, which continues to enable school leavers from low socio-economic backgrounds to enter the legal profession.”
Charlie Moore, a senior paralegal at City firm Kingsley Napley, described the announcement as “bittersweet”.
She explained on LinkedIn: “As someone who qualified as a paralegal through the apprenticeship route, this news is deeply personal.
“I am truly happy for the 16 to 21-year-olds who will still benefit from this incredible pathway. But at 23, I fall outside of the new funding threshold. Like many others, this leaves me facing real uncertainty.”
Ms Moore said the solicitor apprenticeship route “is not just an alternative, it is a lifeline for those who cannot afford the traditional university route. For people from working-class and socially mobile backgrounds, this route levels the playing field”.
For a profession “still struggling with accessibility”, solicitor apprenticeships “have been a powerful equaliser”, she went on.
“My own career in law was made possible because of this route. As I qualified as a paralegal through an apprenticeship. It offered me a way in, without privilege or connections.
“The government states the cut is to rebalance the apprenticeship budget in favour of lower-level qualifications. But in doing so, we risk cutting off a growing, diverse pipeline of legal talent that brings much-needed representation to the profession… The countdown is on, and for many of us, time is running out.”
She added: “Let’s continue to advocate for accessible, inclusive, and sustainable pathways into the legal profession. Because talent should not be age-dependent. And ambition should never be limited by funding.”
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