Report shows drop in training contract places
The number of training contracts offered by law firms fell by 18% last year, Law Society figures have shown.
The Society’s annual statistical report reveals that only 4,784 training contract places were offered in 2010, compared to 5,809 in 2009.
The drop reflects the impact of the economic downturn on firms.
Of the new trainees registered, 63% were women, and 20% of those with known ethnicity came from ethnic minority groups.
The report shows that 9,337 students enrolled on the Legal Practice Course in 2009, with an overall pass rate of 62%, though not all students took the examination.
For those who actually took the LPC exam, the pass rate was 75%, which was 12% lower than the 2008 pass rate, but a similar figure to 2007.
There will be 12,142 full-time and 3,024 part-time LPC places available in 2010/11, though not all of these will be taken up.
At degree level, in 2009 there were 29,211 applicants to study first degree courses in law in England and Wales, of whom 19,882 (68%) were accepted.
Comments
Shocker....
So training contract places are falling...surprise, surprise, yet schools are expanding! Well!
It's worth remembering...
..that the number of LPC students dropped by more than this number this year (see here http://lawyerwatch.wordpress.com/2010/11/22/lpc-numbers-drop-dramatically/).
Also, these figures are (by their nature) out of date. There is historically a timelag between drops in TCs and drops in LPC candidates. When things are bad, more students decide not to do the LPC than is probably healthy for the profession. When things are good, more students decide they will do the LPC than is probably healthy for the profession (http://lawyerwatch.wordpress.com/2010/11/09/a-history-of-lpc-numbers/).
The LPC market is not expanding. It is shrinking fast. The profession needs to be wary of talking its propsects down with would-be recruits. It's done from the best of motives, but the time lag between what happens on the ground and the publication of the figures tends to mean that the markets and, if I may say so, the Law Society react rather late in the day.
There is too much money to be
There is too much money to be made from law students.
So if he number of LPC students continues drop then the SRA with the Law Scoeity and COL etc etc will find ways to continue to boost the numbers.
I'm guessing they'll probably move to allowing qualification as a solicitor upon completion of the LPC. Then you'll see the students flooding back.
Of course everyone knows there are no jobs but the mission is to bleed students for every penny they've got.
Yes, got that one right.
Yes, got that one right.
Report shows drop in training contract places
Whether it is this article or the one that says the profession is 'full'. Whatever that means,they are unhelpful.
When I did the Law Society Exams they were VERY difficult. 55% on average passed first time and in some institutions (usually very able polys), the pass rate was 35% first time. About 4500 - 5000 enrolled on the course and there were about as many places in articles.
After the passes were announced it was like looking at the battlefield of the Somme. great scythes of Algenons and F..F..Fionas, that daddy had lined up for city practice simply couldn't make the grade.
Thispass rate went up to over 80% on average with the new dumbed down generation and the open book LPC (Legal Plagiarist's Course).
So the moral of the exercise? Trot off to Oxbridge. Use it predominately as a finishing school and to get contacts, and then (as a mere incident), join the unfailable Solicitors' or Barristers' exams.
There are no horribly inconvenient things like professional exams to worry about anymore...
The Future
It’s no real surprise that the number of training contracts went down last year. However, the real problem and knock on effect will start to take hold when the market picks up as there’s not been enough people qualifying in non-contentious disciplines over the last two years.