LSC plans to fund legal aid trainees

The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is set to plough more than 1.5 million a year into funding the training of future legal aid solicitors in a bid to combat recruitment problems, it emerged this week.

Launching a consultation on the issue, the LSC unveiled proposals to create two schemes to help firms offer more training contracts and entice entrants to legal aid, with the aim of bringing the funding into play this autumn.

The first strand, a training contract grant, will cover 75% of 100 trainees' minimum salaries prescribed by the Law Society - 13,600 in inner London and 12,000 elsewhere.

The money will be provided on the proviso that trainees remain with the firm for two years after qualification.

It will also cover the cost of the trainees' professional skills courses (PSC), priced at around 1,000 each.

Secondly, legal practice course (LPC) grants will be made available for 100 students who have secured training contracts with firms bringing in more than 70% of their income from legal aid work.

Fees vary between 5,000 to 8,250.

The cost could add up to around 1.7 million annually, which will be allocated on a regional basis to concentrate the money where it is most needed.

To begin with, 15 LPC students and 15 trainees will be funded in London, with the rest of the money spread throughout non-metropolitan areas across England and Wales.

LSC chief executive Steve Orchard said the proposals demonstrated its commitment to continue to work in partnership with firms.

Richard Miller, director of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group, said that the scheme was 'very welcome', but added that he would like to see more potential entrants benefitting from it.

David McIntosh, the Law Society President, said: 'Funding to encourage and enable more trainees to undertake publicly funded work is very welcome but it only goes so far and is not the complete answer.

'It does not address the problems faced by solicitors currently doing this kind of work following the recent freeze in payments.'

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Paula Rohan