The Class Divide in Legal Education: Implications for Social Mobility in the UK

Nov 30, 2023

Written By Benjamin Marshall

Not being able to access the adequate education for your chosen legal career path presents challenges for social mobility. While academic qualifications are necessary for a legal career, many people struggle to pay for them. Within this article we’ll examine this class divide in legal education, and look at what should be done to solve it.

Understanding the class divide: challenges and root causes

For those who attend private schools there are more opportunities to help get started. For example, there may be sessions helping with applications for universities or other programmes. There may also be help for tests such as the LNAT. There may even also be work experience opportunities set up, which can allow these students to shadow people within the legal sector or gain hands-on legal experience. This valuable experience can open doors for further opportunities later down the line.

To become a lawyer, prospective students are required to have a degree as well as further education for the SQE or LPC. Some specialised legal fields even require an LLM. These courses are expensive, not just the tuition fees but living expenses. For many students this financial sacrifice may make the law unaffordable.

Those from lower-income backgrounds may often feel discouraged to pursue a career in law, due to a lack of representation from people of their background. Within schools there may not be encouragement to pursue legal opportunities due to the economic challenges, or not seeing people like them in the sector. This can leave students discouraged to pursue a career in law, as they don’t believe their background allows them to pursue this passion.

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Implications for social mobility: the ripple effect

Early legal opportunities and experience may not be encouraged or known about which has a knock-on effect when looking for legal roles. These opportunities may also not be accessible to those who must get a job(s) to support themselves through education. This could mean a weaker CV when looking for professional roles later down the road.

The lack of opportunities hurts the legal industry as it creates a less diverse industry. This lack of diversity impacts certain sections of the population not just because they’re not represented, but it also means law firms struggle to provide culturally competent services.

Breaking down barriers: strategies for a more inclusive legal education

With the financial pressures in law, it is crucial that educational programmes offer financial support programmes to allow for a broader demographic. To ease these financial issues many educational institutions offer scholarships or bursaries. This could be at the university itself or with groups such as The Law Society. However, these are usually done on a case-by-case basis so access is limited.

Outreach programmes organised by universities are a fantastic way for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to experience the legal sector. This could be through educational tools such as seminars and lectures. Other groups such as the 93% Club have expanded from university societies to programmes which allow for a national network of state-educated law students. They offer support to those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, demonstrating they can have a career in law.

Law can often be seen as an elite career, so creating a supportive environment helps demonstrate that anyone from any background can be successful. Mentorship programmes are one way to break down this barrier, as people can connect and learn from those with similar experiences and backgrounds.

Legal industry responsiveness: addressing the class divide

Law firms have tried to address the social mobility issue by offering internships/ open days exclusively for students from underrepresented backgrounds. Often at university, societies will help with legal education and experience to bridge the gap to your future career, for a reduced lower price. Organisations such as Grow Mentoring and Aspiring Solicitors give you the chance to learn about future career options and financial support. Solicitor apprenticeships have even been created by a range of law firms, a more accessible way to become a solicitor.

Conclusion

One of the key challenges within the legal sector is the financial pressures educational can have on students. This particularly impacts those from low-income households as they may be unable to afford these fees. It is crucial that all those within the legal sector are aware of this issue so that they can offer support. While we should be encouraged by the increasing number of opportunities for those from lower income backgrounds, collective action makes solving this issue a far easier process. Everyone in the legal profession must work together to create a more diverse legal environment which benefits everyone.

Diversity