There are many ways to gain the financial backing necessary to fund your way through the GDL/CPE and LPC or BVC. The most common of these is the Professional Studies Loan. However, there are a number of scholarships and other funds available for prospective trainees.

We have listed some of these below, along with contact details and how to apply.

LOCAL AUTHORITY GRANTS

Your Local Authority will issue a leaflet or booklet providing details of mandatory and discretionary award policies. This will include reference to courses which the authority will consider suitable for the purposes of financial support.

The CPE, Post Graduate Diploma in Law, Legal Practice and Bar Vocational Courses fall into the category of discretionary awards, which means that the authority will decide, using a series of criteria established by the officers and elected members, whether an individual will qualify for an award.

Discretionary funds where available, are very limited and you should apply immediately after the first date published for the receipt of applications, usually later than the date for applications for mandatory awards. (The dates differ, so check with your Local Authority).

More general guidance on grants is provided in the Department for Education and Skills Booklet – ‘Financial Support for Higher Education Students’ which can be obtained from careers and appointment libraries of Higher Education Institutions, large reference libraries and the DfES. It can also be downloaded from the DfES website at: www.dfes.gov.uk

LOAN SCHEMES - THE HIGH STREET BANKS

Major high street banks are a major source of finance for those considering a career in Law. A number of these banks offer special schemes for the CPE/GDL, LPC and BVC and pupillage years, with lower interest rates than normal and delayed repayment arrangements. Students may wish to contact the following banks.

NatWest Professional Training Loan

· Loan amount: up to £15,000

· Available for: CPE/GDL (second year onwards); LPC, BVC and pupillage period

· Repayment period: begins 6 months after completion of course. Barristers may be eligible for a capital repayment holiday of up to 3 years. Repayment up to a maximum of 10 years from the date loan was arranged

· Notes: loan available as lump sum or in stages. Loans can be arranged as early as the second year of a law degree or final year of non-law degrees for CPE/PgDL courses. No loan arrangement fee. Applicants must have a student account with the NatWest to be eligible for the loan

· Contact details: enquiries to local branches. Intending barristers may wish to contact the Law Courts Branch at Temple Bar Legal Centre, PO Box 11052, 217 Strand, London WC2R 1AR, Tel: 020 7664 9166 as they have particular expertise in loan arrangements for barristers

HSBC Professional Studies Loan

· Loan amount: £5,000 pa plus course fees or the equivalent of two thirds of salary over the previous 12 months

· Available for: CPE/PgDL; LPC; BVC

· Repayment period: begins 12 months after completion of course. Up to £10,000 repayable over a maximum of 7 years; over £10,000 up to a maximum of 11 years

· Notes: security may be required. Interest-free overdraft up to £1,500 for duration of course and for the following 12 months

· Contact details: see local branches for information and application details. Intending barristers should contact the Chancery Lane Branch at 123 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1QH. Tel: 020 7599 6759

Lloyds/TSB Professional Studies Loan

· Loan amount: £10,000 or two-thirds previous salary if in employment

· Available for: CPE/PgDL; LPC; BVC

· Repayment period: begins 6 months after completion of course. Maximum 5-year repayment period

· Notes: loan available as lump sum or in stages. No arrangement fee

· Contact details: information and applications through local branches. Intending barristers may wish to contact the Law Courts Branch at 222 The Strand, London WC2R 1BB.

Barclays Professional Studies Package/Law School Loan.

· Loan amount: up to £25,000 over 2 years

· Available for CPE/PgDL (£10K available); LPC; BVC (£15K available)

· Repayment period: begins 9 months after the course has ended. Loans of up to £10,000 repayable over a maximum of 5 years, over £10,000 up to a maximum of 9 years

· Notes: Loans available in one lump sum or in stages as required. Students can get all the benefits of the Barclays Student Account including interest-free overdrafts and specialist service.

· Contact details for information: Call free on 0800 400 100, call into any branch of Barclays or contact Barclays Bank plc, Consumer Lending Section, PSMD, PO Box 120, Longwood Close, Westwood Business Park, Coventry, CV4 8JN. Tel: 02476 694242

Royal Bank of Scotland - The Law Student Loan Scheme

· Loan amount: up to £15,000 (LPC) up to £10,000 BVC

· Available for: CPE/PgDL (£5K), LPC (£10K or £15K if not borrowed money for CPE), and BVC

· Repayment period: up to 7 years (including study period). No repayments in Year 1 and interest only in Years 2 and 3. £100 fee payable

· Notes: applicants should be existing RBS customers or should transfer their account. RBS offer student account terms while studying including £2,000 interest free overdraft. The loan schemes offered to barristers and solicitors differ to some extent – contact the number below for further details.

· Contact details: contact local branch or apply to Royal Bank of Scotland, Commercial Banking Services (Marketing), PO Box 31, 42 St Andrews Square, Edinburgh EH2 2YE, Tel: 0131 523 4145

CAREER DEVELOPMENT LOANS

· Loan amount: £300 - £8,000

· Available for: vocationally-related courses for up to 2 years (such as CPE/PgDL, LPC or BVC)

· Repayment period: the individual banks within the CDL scheme vary slightly as to their repayment holidays and repayment periods. Check details in the CDL applications pack

· Interest rates: paid by Government while on course. High interest rates once completed

· Notes: run by Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, Co-operative and Clydesdale banks on behalf of Department for Education and Skills. Can borrow up to 80% of fees (100% if unemployed for more than 3 months) plus costs towards books and living. Available for full and part-time courses

· Contact details: Career Development Loans, FREEPOST, Newcastle upon Tyne NE85 1BR, Tel: 0800 585 505 – www.lifelonglearning.dfes.gov.uk/cdl

The National Association of Managers of Student Services runs a web site serviced by Money Facts which has pages on student finance and loans listing details of all the loan packages offered by banks – www.namss.org.uk.

OTHER LOANS

At present the Government’s Student Loan Scheme is not available for post-graduate study. However, students should check with their teaching institutions as to whether they have negotiated a special scheme with a bank or building society.

CHARITIES AND GRANT-MAKING TRUSTS

Your Local Authority Awards Officer will also have information about local charities and any grant-making trusts for which you may qualify. There will be a charities register which can be consulted in order to advise you, and which may be available in the local reference library. Qualifications for these awards vary enormously but they are often so specific that your eligibility will be limited to a very few. Usually they provide for the award of small amounts of money only and should not be relied upon to provide financial support for either tuition or maintenance for a whole year.

COLLEGE ACCESS FUNDS

These funds are available to post-graduate students at universities and publicly funded colleges mainly to provide additional assistance to meet living costs. The funds are used at the discretion of your college for full time or sandwich law students. Students should contact the student support, or student services officer of their institution for further details.

Please Note: These funds are intended for students who are experiencing particular difficulties in meeting their living costs. Students must be aged 19 years or over, but there is no upper age limit.

In addition, the professional bodies have a number of sources of finance, which are unique to each branch of the legal profession.

LAW SOCIETY BURSARY SCHEME

The Law Society has a bursary scheme limited to awards for CPE, Post Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Courses. It consists of a variety of funds and grant-making trusts, providing grants and loans which have been grouped together into an umbrella scheme. The fund in total is very limited and there are both competitive elements and hardship criteria which must be applied. A candidate needs to be both outstanding in achievement or dedication, and genuinely in need of support, with no other access to major funding via own, parents' or spouse’s income or a local authority award, in order to be considered.

Application forms are normally available in March and the closing date for receipt is in May in the year in which the applicant hopes to commence his or her course. Further information can be obtained from the Law Society by telephoning 0870 606 2555 and requesting a Bursary application pack.

SPONSORSHIP

A number of firms will sponsor students, mainly those applying for Legal Practice Courses and those intending to take the CPE or Post Graduate Diploma in Law Course. In the circumstances, you would normally expect to serve your training contract with the firm. Occasionally commitment to employment with the firm over a longer period is required. This will form the subject of a covenant in the Training Contract.

Sponsorship information can be found in a variety of publications and from a number of different sources. If you are still a student, your university or college careers service will have a list of firms which are recruiting, and information about sponsorship is available from them. If you are a graduate, you will find that there is an arrangement whereby you can seek help from the careers service of your nearest university or college of higher education. The most comprehensive information about firms offering sponsorship is obtainable from ROSET (Register of Solicitors Employing Trainees) which is available free from your university or careers service, or, if you are a graduate, from the Law Society Bookshop. ROSET lists firms which are recruiting trainees and gives information about whether they are able to sponsor for the LPC or the CPE and Post Graduate Diploma in Law. You will also find sponsorship information in the CSU publication, PROSPECTS Legal, again available from your university or careers service, or available from CSU.

Twice yearly ‘The Lawyer’ magazine, publishes a ‘Student Special’ supplement in which there is a list of firms who are willing to sponsor students. Further information is available from ‘The Lawyer’ (www.thelawyer.com). Copies are usually kept in university careers services, and you can consult the list there.

ETHNIC MINORITY STUDENTS

A limited number of scholarships is available usually for the Legal Practice Course, to members of ethnic minority communities, who are British Citizens and who wish to qualify as solicitors. For further information contact: Fitzroy Allen, Windsor Fellowship, 47 Hackney Road, London, E2

The British Council will provide information and assistance to overseas students seeking to qualify as solicitors in England and Wales.

Overseas students from outside the European Community are generally not eligible for local authority awards as there are nationality and residence criteria to establish eligibility. Overseas students who are able to obtain work permits for the purposes of serving under articles may apply for sponsorship with firms to support their studies for the CPE, Post Graduate, Diploma in Law and the Legal Practice Course.

Henry Malcolm Hubbard Scholarship

Henry Malcolm Hubbard, a solicitor, in his will established the so-called Law Scholarship Fund. Part of the fund's income is used to provide scholarships for trainee solicitors and recently admitted solicitors.

The Henry Malcolm Hubbard Scholarship is for trainee solicitors and recently admitted solicitors.

You may apply for a scholarship if you plan to study in France, Spain or Canada – and intend to study the law and legal procedures of the country in question.

To be considered for an award, you must demonstrate that you meet the following criteria:

Academic achievement - You must have completed the Legal Practice Course. An academic reference is required.

Employment status - When the awards are made, you should be in a training contract, or you should have been admitted as a solicitor for no more than three years.

Course of study - You must intend to study in France, Spain or Canada during the term of the award, and you must intend to study the law and legal procedure of the country in question.

To find out more please go to the Law Society's website at http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/newsandevents/news

Inns of Court Scholarships

Given the problems with discretionary awards from LEA’s, most students have to look elsewhere for funding for the CPE/Diploma and BVC. The Inns provide a great deal of valuable financial assistance to their students in the form of scholarships and awards, which are in excess of £2.5 million each year. 327 BVC awards were given to students in 2000/2001. Of the BVC awards in 2000/2001, 19 were under £1,000, 63 between £1,000 and £2,499, 50 between £2,500 and £4,999, 114 between £5,000 and £9,999 and 70 above £10,000. Awards and Scholarships are also given to CPE/PgDL students and pupillage trainees.

Applications can only be made to one Inn and it is worth enquiring at an early stage to ensure not to miss any deadlines. All Inns also make awards to cover admissions and Call fees.

If you intend to apply for a scholarship or financial assistance, look carefully at the assessment criteria for such awards (these vary from Inn to Inn – some place more emphasis on need while others look at pure academic merit) and choose the one whose criteria best match. The conditions of awards can be obtained from the Students’ Officers of the Inns. Recipients of awards will be expected to repay them if they do not proceed to the Bar.

Chambers’ Pupillage Awards and Guarantees

The Bar Council has approved a proposal for compulsory funding of pupillage. All pupillages are now funded to a minimum level of £5,000 in the first six months, and £5,000 (by way of guaranteed receipts or award) during the second six months. However, many chambers offer far in excess of these minimum figures. Details of all pupillages and awards can be found on the OLPAS website (www.olpas.co.uk), in the accompanying Pupillage and Awards Handbook or on the Pupillage designated website at: www.pupillageonline.org.uk.

Bar Council Scholarship Trust

In recent years the trust has provided assistance during pupillage by means of interest-free loans up to a maximum of £5,000 depending on individual circumstances. These awards were usually made to those without any form of pupillage funding. In the light of compulsory funding of pupillage, which commenced in January 2003, it is currently uncertain whether this scheme will continue.

Please contact Brian Buck, the Bar Council’s Chief Accountant for further details.

THE INDERPAL RAHAL MEMORIAL TRUST

The trust makes one, or occasionally two, grants per year towards legal training for women from an immigrant or refugee background who intend to practise or teach law in the UK. Candidates are required to complete an application form and those short listed, attend an interview.

Please contact the Inderpal Rahal Memorial Trust administrator for further details.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Financial Support for Higher Education Students

Department for Education and Skills

Sanctuary Buildings

Great Smith Street

Westminster

London SW1P 3BT

Prospects

CSU (Higher Education Careers Services Unit)

Prospects House

Booth Street East

Manchester

M13 9EP

Information Booklet on Career Development Loans

Freepost Career Development

PO Box 99

Sudbury

Suffolk CO16 6BR

Money to Study

Published jointly by the National Union of Students, the Education Grants Advisory Service of Family Welfare Association and the United Kingdom Council for Overseas Student Affairs Charities Digest (available from most bookshops)

Family Welfare Association

Family Welfare Enterprise

501-5 Kingsland Road

London E8 4AU

The Directory of Grant Making Trusts

Charities Aid Foundation

48 Pembury Road

Tonbridge

Kent

The Educational Grants Directory

Directory of Social Change

24 Stephenson Way

London NW1 2DP

The Grants Register

Macmillan Publishing

Globe Book Services Limited

Stockton House

1 Melbourne Place

London WC2B 4FL

ADDRESSES

For Local Education Authority Addresses

The Education Authorities Directory

The School Government Publishing Co Ltd

Darby House

Bletchingley Road

Mertsham

Redhill RH1 3DN

(or your local telephone directory)

CSU (Higher Education Careers Services Unit)

Prospects House

Booth Street East

Manchester

M13 9EP

The ‘Lawyer’ (Centaur Communications Group)

50 Poland Street

London W1V 4AX

Tel: 020 7439 4222

The Inderpal Rahal Memorial Trust

The Administrator

Two Garden Court Chambers

Middle Temple

London EC4Y 9BL

Email: irmt@2gardenct.law.co.uk

THE LAW SOCIETY

General Information

Information Services

The Law Society

Ipsley Court

Berrington Close

Redditch

Worcestershire B98 OTD

Student Enquiry Line: 0870 606 2555

Bursary Information and Application Forms

Information Services

The Law Society

Redditch

Information and Request Line: 01527 504455

THE BAR COUNCIL

General Information

Education & Training Department

The Bar Council

2/3 Cursitor Street

London EC4A 1NE

Tel: 020 7440 4000

www.legaleducation.org.uk

Bar Council Scholarship Trust

Brian Buck

Chief Accountant

The Bar Council

3 Bedford Row

London WC1R 4DB

Tel: 020 7242 0082

THE INNS OF COURT

Lincoln’s Inn

Students’ Department

Lincoln’s Inn

Treasury Office

London WC2A 3TL

Tel: 020 7405 1393

www.lincolnsinn.org.uk

Inner Temple

Education & Training Department

Inner Temple

1 King’s Bench Walk

London EC4Y 7DB

Tel: 020 7797 9208

www.innertemple.org.uk

Middle Temple

Students’ Department

Middle Temple

Treasury Office

London EC4Y 9AT

Tel: 020 7427 4800

www.middletemple.org.uk

Gray’s Inn

Education Department

Gray’s Inn

8 South Square

London WC1R 5EU

Tel: 020 7458 7900

www.graysinn.org.uk

The Law Careers Advice Network

www.lcan.ac.uk

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