Partners from top law firms announced as Aspiring Solicitors Foundation trustees

Social mobility charity The Aspiring Solicitors Foundation has announced the addition of partners and associates from leading law firms to its board of trustees and new advisory board.

Tim Smith, partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner; Stuart Sinclair, partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and Sunil Samani, co-head of legal at XTX Markets have all joined the AS Foundation’s board as trustees.

A new advisory board will provide the charity with strategic guidance and fundraising assistance. Its members are Mayer Brown partners Amy Jacks, Stuart Pickford and Jim Oulton; Lily Manser, solicitor at Shepherd and Wedderburn; Alex Thornton de Mauroy, associate at Stephenson Harwood; and the new board’s chair Mark Mifsud, managing partner of Fried Frank.

Since its launch in 2019, the AS Foundation has so far provided £20,000 worth of laptops, business attire, online subscriptions and scholarships to aspiring solicitors from low-income backgrounds.

Chris White, chair of the AS Foundation’s trustees, founder of Aspiring Solicitors and director of social mobility charity PRIME Commitment said: “The importance of social mobility has taken on a whole new dimension post covid-19, so I am delighted that we are able to welcome such a high-calibre mix of trustees and advisory board members to the AS Foundation board. These individuals bring with them a wealth of legal experience and I am confident that, together, we will be able to help remove some of the financial barriers that prevents so many people from entering the legal profession.”