Young Legal Aid Lawyers (YLAL) are proud to announce the second year of their Social Welfare Solicitors Qualification Fund (SWSQF).

YLAL has been working with BARBRI and City of London Law Society since early 2021 to develop this scheme which seeks to qualify as solicitors those who are eligible for the SQE, are already working within Social Welfare law and intend to qualify as social welfare solicitors. The fund will pay for the preparatory course provided by BARBRI and the exam fees for SQE1 and 2 for successful candidates. The scheme has been created in order to widen access to the sector which we know is facing a serious recruitment and retention crisis. It also works alongside other initiatives to help our sector to improve our capacity to provide access to justice for those who need it most at a time when it has never been more necessary.

In April 2022 our first cohort of 21 incredible candidates began their SQE1 prep course and will sit their exams in January 2023, qualifying as solicitors in 2024. We have now been successful in raising financial support from 25 city law firms and are in a position to open applications for our second cohort of candidates.

If you (or your team member):

1. aspire to be a social welfare solicitor;
   
2. are working in social welfare law;
   
3. have the support of your employer;
   
4. earn less than £35k in London, £30k outside of London or are in receipt of Universal Credit;
   
5. and have a degree or equivalent
   

but have struggled to fund the high costs of the SQE or LPC then this may be a scheme that will work for you. For all information regarding the eligibility criteria and requirements as well as about the scheme and the application process please see YLAL’s SQE hub here and for application packs and submissions visit the CLLS page here.

If you are interested in the scheme and have any unanswered questions then please contact us on YLALSQEFund@gmail.com and we’ll do our best to answer any concerns. Deadline for applications is 12pm 8th December 2022.