Firm sponsorship

Firm sponsorship is the main way students fund professional law courses such as the Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course. Many of the top 100 law firms recruit two years in advance for training contracts. That is to say that most firms will now be recruiting for training contracts commencing 2012/13 and as part of the application process for a training contract, funding for your law courses (including Graduate Diploma in Law and the Legal Practice Course) and often a maintenance grant are included.

Some medium sized firms recruit one year in advance and the smaller the firm the less likely they are able to pay for the LPC. It is no secret that the larger commercial firms can offer you the highest funding for your law courses, highest wages whilst training and on qualification. For example both Allen & Overy and Slaughter and May offer £7450 for both the GDL and LPC.

On qualification you can earn anything from £85,500 with Covington & Burling or £33,000 with Pannone & Partners. You will be able to find out what firms can offer you by looking through the Training Contract and Pupillage Handbook published in November or by using one of the law websites we have listed on our website.

You can also find a list of the firms offering the best funding package for the Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course at RollonFriday.com. The Legal Services Commission  www.legalservices.gov.uk provides a number of Legal Aid firms with funding to support trainees' LPC fees and further training.  Some of the vacancies are advertised on the Legal Aid Practitioners Group website www.lapg.co.uk/index.cfm

The Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test is usually paid for by a firm itself but you could consider funding the QLTT yourself. If you do decide to pay for the QLTT yourself check the individual providers for current prices but expect to have to pay anything from £600-12,000 per head.

"If we offer you a position we are happy to support you in studying for your Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test (QLTT).  This includes payment of your Law Society application fee for the Certificate of Eligibility to take the QLTT, course fees for the QLTT, registration fees to sit the test, examination fees, an allowance of £100 towards the cost of books, and the Law Society application fee for Admission to the Roll" Herbert Smith LLP

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Law Society

Law Society Bursary Scheme

The Law Society's Bursary Scheme is funded by several trusts and scholarships that were established to encourage the development of new solicitors. Awards from the fund are exclusively for students who have secured a place on the Common Professional Examination, Graduate Diploma in Law or the Legal Practice Course .

To be eligible to apply for an award, you must be able to demonstrate that
•  your financial position would make it difficult for you to further your legal studies
•  you are able to complete the course for which you are registered
•  you are committed to completing the course
•  you are committed to pursuing a career as a solicitor

Law Society Diversity Access Scheme

The Law Society operates a Diversity Access Scheme; the scheme provides support to talented people who must overcome particular obstacles to qualify as a solicitor. Obstacles might relate to
•  social, educational, financial or family circumstances
•  a disability that makes the goal of qualifying as a solicitor an especially challenging one

Successful applicants are granted sponsorship to cover fees for the Common Professional Examination, Graduate Diploma in Law or the Legal Practice Course.

For more information about ether of these schemes pleasse visit the Junior Lawyers Division of the Law Society.

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Legal Services Commission

The Legal Services Commission have recently award 150 grants to legal aid organisations to fund the training contracts of 150 new trainees. These grants are worth a total of £3million and provide LPC funding as well as a guaranteed position within the firm after qualification. The successful firms have now begun recruitment for these LSC funded training contracts therefore interested students must apply directly to these firms. Full details of the scheme can be found on the LSC website.

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Law Schools

Many law schools offer scholarship schemes some based on academic ability, financial need, to students from a particular institution or for particular courses so when looking for a law course provider assess what the school can offer you in terms of funding.

Deadlines in April, June or July of the year in which you are due to begin your study are common and sometimes you may even have to apply in the August of the year before you start.

You can find information on most UK institutional scholarships from the British Council or on individual universities' websites. Check www.prospects.ac.uk for a list of UK universities that provide scholarships for international students.

For example The University of Nottingham offers a range of scholarships in order to encourage academic excellence, aid diversity, develop relationships with sponsors and offer real financial assistance in cases of hardship, whether individually or by region.

In conjunction with Lawyer2B, BPP Law School runs an annual essay competition with a prize of a free place on the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and a free place on the Legal Practice Course (LPC) at BPP Law School. The competition is launched in the October issue of the Lawyer 2B and requires you to write a 2,000 essay. There are two essay questions, one for non-law graduates and one for law graduates. The prize scholarships cover all programme fees, examination fees and a range of books and materials.

College of Law students are eligible for loans at preferential rates through their Professional Trainee Loan Scheme with NatWest. Loans of up to £25,000 are available depending on circumstances (if you're studying part-time you can borrow up to the cost of your course fees), with no repayments required during your full-time studies.

Nottingham Law at Kaplan Law School offer two scholarships to study for a GDL or LPC at Kaplan with full scholarships for their tuition fees. To enter, applicants must write a 1000 word essay on a contemporary legal topic.

Scholarships are also available for international students joining postgraduate courses at The University of Salford. Applicants for any taught postgraduate course will receive up to £2,000 under the International Excellence Scholarship scheme, if they meet the academic scholarship criteria and have international fee status. Over 500 scholarships were awarded to international students in September 2008.

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Scholarships

You should thoroughly research all funding opportunities while still in your home country with your first point of contact your education ministry. The British Council will also be able to offer you advice, as will your own higher education institution. You can also use www.educationuk.org/scholarships to search online for scholarships.

Studentships.co.uk brings together all the different types of funding opportunities open to potential postgraduates, at both taught and research level, all in one place and Scholarship Search is also useful.

Just some international scholarships you can find:

British Chevening Scholarships
These scholarships are offered in more than 150 countries and enable talented graduates and young professionals to study in the UK and to gain skills which will benefit their countries. Awards are usually made for postgraduate diplomas/Masters course lasting up to one year.

British Marshall Scholarships
These exist to finance young US students of high ability to study for a degree in the UK. The scholarships are tenable at any UK university and cover two years of study in any discipline, at either undergraduate or graduate level. The scholarships cover university fees, cost of living expenses, annual book grant, research and daily travel, air fares, and where applicable, a contribution towards the support of a dependent spouse.

Fulbright Awards Programme
The programme aims to promote mutual understanding between the US and other countries providing scholarships for postgraduate study. The programme allows US citizens to study in the UK, and covers maintenance and tuition for the first year. The US-UK Fulbright Commission is looking for evidence of academic excellence, leadership, outstanding references, and strong reasons for coming to the UK to study, ambassadorial qualities and extra-curricular activities.

Postgrad Solutions Global LLM Study Bursaries
Postgrad Solutions Ltd, the publisher of llmstudy.com, is offering two Global LLM Study Bursaries each to the value of £500. To apply for a Global LLM Study Bursary, you have to be a member of the free-of-charge Postgrad Solutions Student Service - join now!