Widening access to law

Some members of the ULG team come from under-privileged backgrounds and were the first in their families to go to university. We beat all the odds and successfully achieved our dreams of becoming lawyers at leading law firms. Now that we have made it, we are determined to give back and inspire the next generation by helping talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds to navigate their way through the ultra-competitive training contract selection process and forge a career in law. 

We actively encourage talented students from non-privileged backgrounds to pursue careers in the legal profession; we have established a mentoring programme, which involves the provision of one-to-one career coaching from qualified solicitors, group development workshops, e-learning via our website and our career guide - Ultimate Guide to Training Contract Success. This helps to equip students with expert careers advice at the all-important early stage of their career, when students need this guidance the most.  We also help  you to increase your confidence, unlock your talent, raise your aspirations and fulfill your potential. 

Bridging the diversity gap

We understand the needs of aspiring lawyers because we have been in their ourselves; we provide you with a clear message - we managed to forge a career in law, and so can you! as long as long as  you are hardworking, determined and dedicated to achieving your career goals. Our mentoring programme helps to allay practical fears and boost your confidence by providing access to valuable information, sound career advice and practical guidance, which provides a helping hand to ensure you realise a legal career is within your grasp. We  draw  from our own personal experiences, highlight useful anecdotes and recent case studies of students we have  recently guided who went on to forge careers in law. We also help you to gain a better understanding of how to showcase your skills more effectively and improve your employability prospects. 

In order to successfully secure a career in law, it is essential that aspiring lawyers gain work experience which will introduce you to the legal world and offer an insight into the realities of what life is like in legal practice. This will also help you to develop know-how, build networks, and build your self-confidence. Whilst all students should be encouraged to do this, some students from under-privileged backgrounds are less likely to have made valuable contacts within the profession, and subsequently lack the know-how and portfolio of skills required to succeed. 

ULG’s work helping talented students from under-privileged backgrounds access the legal profession

We provide students with career guidance at each stage of their education because we believe that you need a helping hand much earlier than on the graduate recruitment milk-round. We help hundreds of students at university and law school;  we also regularly speak to students at state schools across London. Our talks provide students with an insight into how we got into the legal profession, our work as commercial lawyers and offer careers advice to those students considering a legal career. We help to improve academic standards, raise aspirations, expectations, encourage students to attend university and empower you to believe you are able to pursue careers in law. We work with government appointed Widening Participation Officers (WPOs) based at UK universities; WPO’s work with teenagers attending nearby schools and youth groups who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and are tasked with increasing the number of undergraduates from diverse backgrounds.