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An event to celebrate the achievements of the Lawscot Foundation’s first graduates has raised a further £1,200 to support aspiring lawyers.
As well as marking the achievements of the first cohort of graduates, the event, held at Laigh Hall at Parliament House, was an opportunity to celebrate those who have supported the Foundation’s goal of helping young people from less-advantaged backgrounds achieve their dream of studying law, from the sponsors and donors to mentors and other individuals who have supported the initiative.
The RT Hon James Wolffe KC, former Lord Advocate and current trustee of the Lawscot Foundation, who gave the key address, said, “The first and most compelling reason why diversity and inclusion matter is that it is, quite simply, unfair if someone, who has the intellectual and practical ability and the ambition to be a lawyer is held back or disadvantaged by reason of their personal characteristics or social and economic circumstances. As lawyers, we care about treating people fairly, so I could stop there.
“But the second reason, and it is just as compelling, is that it is a loss to the profession if we do not recruit talented individuals from the widest pool, regardless of personal characteristics or social and economic background.
“That is where the Foundation comes in, it supports talented young people - and many of them are from the most deprived parts of Scotland or have faced extraordinary challenges and have risen above them. It recognises that the financial barriers to studying law are real, but also that the barriers to access to the profession are not just financial. We want to give the students we support the best start we can for a career in the law, and our students benefit from a programme which involves not just financial support but also mentoring and work shadowing opportunities.”
Christine McLintock, former President of the Law Society of Scotland and Chair of the Lawscot Foundation, opened the event by thanking those in attendance as well as the organisation’s sponsors, whose contributions enable it to continue to support academically talented students from less advantaged backgrounds throughout their legal education journey.
Jordan Scott, a student from the Foundation’s cohort, spoke passionately at the event about his experience with the Lawscot Foundation and how it has facilitated his legal aspirations. Mr Scott, who obtained his LLB at the University of Dundee and his Diploma in Professional Legal Practice in Edinburgh, is now a first-year trainee at Morton Fraser.
Darren Kerr of the Lawscot Foundation said, “It was fantastic to hear from Lawscot Foundation scholars and to learn how much our support has meant to them. I would like to say a massive thank you to our sponsors, individual donors, mentors, and all those who have helped support the Foundation in some capacity. With your assistance we have manged to support 46 students with full bursaries and a further eight with ad hoc grants and will continue to do so with the generous backing of the legal profession in Scotland”.
Established in 2016, the Lawscot Foundation supports academically talented students from less-advantaged backgrounds in Scotland through their legal education journey. The first LLB graduates to have been supported by the Lawscot Foundation graduated from four Scottish universities in 2021.
All 10 Scottish universities that run the accredited LLB are represented in its student body. Currently five students are now studying towards the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice, and four students have secured a traineeship.
The Foundation’s ability to continue its work relies on the ongoing support of the legal profession. Those wishing to support the Foundation can make their donations here
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