CoL to host social mobility event

The College of Law, in collaboration with the City Solicitors’ Educational Trust, hosted a forum to investigate the best ways of promoting social mobility in the legal sector on 28 September. Representatives from nearly 50 UK law firms, higher education institutions, voluntary sector organisations and legal services regulators attended the roundtable event.

The forum reviewed the schemes currently on offer, aiming to identify any gaps and investigate the potential for future collaboration. The event coincided with the launch of PRIME (see "PRIME experience for underprivileged school kids").

Professor Richard de Friend, the CoL board member responsible for its social responsibility programme, said: "The importance of programmes to promote social mobility can only increase over the next few years as students - especially those from the least advantaged backgrounds - face a highly challenging job-market; the impact of the government's debt-reduction measures; and, from 2012, a significant increase in the fees charged for undergraduate degrees."

Some of the firms that were involved included Addleshaw Goddard, Allen & Overy, Ashurst, Clifford Chance, DLA Piper, Eversheds, Herbert Smith, Hogan Lovells, Linklaters, Macfarlanes, Nabarro, Olswang, Simmons & Simmons, Slaughter and May, Stephenson Harwood and Travers Smith.

A report on the outcomes of the forum will be published in due course.