Matching moves by the magic circle and Herbert Smith Freehills
International law firm Hogan Lovells has increased its Legal Practice Course (LPC) maintenance grant by 43%.
The outfit’s future trainees will now receive the coveted £10,000 in living support offered by six others firms, a boost of £3,000. Hogan Lovells — which dishes out around 60 training contracts each year — confirmed the increase will apply to students who started their LPC studies in February, and those due to start the course in August.
All future rookies at the firm must complete an accelerated version of the vocational course (seven-and-a-half months instead of the traditional 12) at BPP Law School.
Crispin Rapinet, Hogan Lovells’ newly-appointed training principal, said: “Ensuring all our people have access to high quality training, support and the opportunity to progress throughout their career is an absolute priority, at every level. With 29% of our 2016/17 hires coming from social mobility backgrounds, we recognise that finances are an increasing consideration and often a barrier to pursuing a career in law.”
Rapinet, who will be speaking at Legal Cheek‘s The Future of Legal Education and Training Conference on 23 May, continued:
“In offering an enhanced level of financial support we hope to address these concerns for future potential candidates and allow our current cohort to focus on achieving their very best in their studies.”
Hogan Lovells’ money move comes just 24 hours after Herbert Smith Freehills upped its maintenance grant by the same figure. The firm cited rising living costs in London as the rationale behind the boost.
In January, Clifford Chance and Freshfields increased their grants by 43% to £10,000. Not be outdone, Linklaters, Slaughter and May and Allen & Overy quickly matched the five-figure sum. All the firms mentioned cover LPC fees, too.
