Support up to 190 aspiring solicitors
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has dished out £360,000 to support disadvantaged candidates taking the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), using money from fines imposed on assessment provider Kaplan.
The SQE Access and Reinvestment Fund, which has been accumulating since the SQE launched in 2021, will help cover exam fees for up to 190 aspiring solicitors from underrepresented backgrounds in its first round of distribution.
The funding has been allocated to 11 organisations, including social mobility charities, universities, and training providers. Recipients include the Legal Social Mobility Fund, Black and Proud CIC, and The Law Society’s Diversity Access Scheme, as well as law schools such as The College of Legal Practice and The University of Law.
Each organisation will run its own process to determine which aspiring lawyers are selected, with the first cohort potentially starting as early as January 2026.
The fund consists of performance-based payments from Kaplan, in line with its contract with the SRA. Over the past two years, the assessment provider has faced criticism for administrative failings, including wrongly informing 175 candidates that they had failed the SQE.
Paul Philip, SRA chief executive, said:
“One of the objectives of the SQE is to promote a diverse profession by removing artificial and unjustifiable barriers. Our decision to distribute the fund in this way reflects our commitment to meeting the SQE objectives. The fund recognises that talent, not financial circumstances, should determine who can become a solicitor. Up to 190 candidates could be supported through the scheme. We look forward to following their journeys.”
The 11 organisations receiving funding are: Aberystwyth University Veterans’ Legal Link, Accutrainee, Black and Proud CIC, Bristol Law Society, Law Training Centre, Legal Social Mobility Fund, Social Welfare Solicitors’ Qualification Fund, The College of Legal Practice, The Law Society of England and Wales (Diversity Access Scheme), The University of Central Lancashire, and The University of Law.
