I understand that banks are either reducing or stopping altogether the loans they have offered to students for the graduate conversion and Legal Practice Courses. There is no student loan funding available for this either.

We would not discriminate against people from different racial backgrounds wanting to join the profession; but this will exclude a whole group of capable candidates who come from poorer backgrounds.

Presumably the course providers will seek to introduce shorter and cheaper courses, which would have a deleterious effect. Perhaps the solution would be to reintroduce five-year (work-based) training contracts.

David Pickup, Pickup & Scott , Aylesbury, Bucks