WHEN the Law Society of Scotland launched its Lawscot Foundation it said its aim was to increase the number of people from underprivileged backgrounds entering the legal profession.
As Law Society chief executive Lorna Jack said shortly after the charity launched in 2016, the aim is to bring down “barriers for anyone who is academically bright enough” to pursue a career in law but who comes from one of the many Scottish communities that “do not produce lawyers”.
Having raised thousands of pounds to pay out bursaries to the foundation’s first eight-strong cohort last September, the organisation is preparing to welcome its second batch of students aboard next month.
Yet while financial backing is a key part of the programme, Demi Scorfield, who hails from Leith and is about to begin the second year of her law degree, said the mentoring she has received after being selected for the first cohort has also made a major difference to her university experience.
“No one in my family has ever studied at university so I did not really know what to expect,” she said.
“I was excited about starting at the University of Edinburgh but also worried that I would not fit in with other students coming from more affluent backgrounds.
“The mentoring support I have been given through the Lawscot Foundation has been a massive boost to my self-confidence, while the bursary was a great help with buying law books and with rent, and without this help it would be extremely difficult.”
Darren Woodall from Largs, who will begin the second year of his law with Spanish course at the University of Aberdeen next month, agreed.
“The Lawscot Foundation is providing a lot of support and help to people, especially those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds like mine, who otherwise might not be able to get in to the legal profession,” he said.
“The support of a mentor has been really helpful and he has given me good advice when I was stressed with exams.”
All eight students that have so far been supported by the Lawscot Foundation were the first in their family to go to university and most have either spent time in care, been homeless or acted as young carers.
While this meant it would have been difficult for them to make it to university without the help of the foundation, for Ms Scorfield it was her own personal experiences that gave her the determination to pursue a career in the law.
“Things were quite tough at home and life experiences have taught me resilience and perseverance,” she said.
“My step-father passed away while I was going through my exams and when I was younger I was the victim of crime myself.
“Conditions at home had a direct impact on me wanting to be a lawyer and being able to make society a fairer place, and to help others through the study and practice of law is my motivation and hope.
Mr Woodall agreed, saying that “the main reason I want to do law is to help people”.
“When my mum and dad separated there was a lot of court stuff going on around that. Going through the courts was a really intimidating process but I always saw the lawyer as the hero for the way he helped my mum.
“I suppose me doing law is like me wanting to repay that. I want to help people in the same way that my mum was helped at that time.”
Last month international law firm Pinsent Masons announced that it would provide funding for an additional student to benefit from the foundation each year in memory of its former Scotland and Northern Ireland chairman Kirk Murdoch.
It is also offering all students in receipt of Lawscot Foundation support the chance to apply for a separate scholarship at the end of their second year of study, with the successful applicant being offered paid summer placements at the firm as well as the chance to apply for a traineeship at the end of their studies.
For Ms Scorfield and Mr Woodall such an opportunity would be the icing on the cake of the support they have already received.
“It is an amazing opportunity and will be a big motivational factor to all of us to work hard and to take advantage of this opportunity to secure a summer internship, and to build on the network and contacts we have already established,” Ms Scorfield said.
“The Kirk Murdoch Scholarship is another really helpful resource and will provide a fantastic step-up for whichever one of us succeeds in becoming the first scholar,” Mr Woodall added.
“For those of us with absolutely no previous connections to law, the possibility of obtaining an internship and a traineeship at Pinsent Masons is an exciting prospect.”
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