First awards offered by Lawscot Foundation to ‘inspirational’ candidates

Law Society of Scotland charity the Lawscot Foundation is to provide support for eight young people from less advantaged backgrounds who are starting Scots law degrees this autumn.

The eight school pupils, who have all had offers to study law at Scottish universities, are the first to be offered financial and mentoring support from the charity, which was set up in 2016 to help academically talented students from less advantaged backgrounds through their legal education journey.

Lawscot Foundation will offer financial assistance to each of the students during their law degree and through the post-graduate diploma in professional legal practice. It will also provide mentoring throughout their studies from an experienced Scottish solicitor to help enhance the student’s confidence, skills and knowledge throughout.

Heather McKendrick, Head of Careers and Outreach at the Law Society of Scotland, said: “I am absolutely delighted to have reached this stage and to be able to help our very first group of extremely talented young people.

“The individuals who have applied truly are exceptional. Some of them have faced unimaginable challenges at a young age – from being in care or being a carer themselves to being made homeless. Yet despite, or perhaps because of this, they are hugely driven – they have worked hard, achieved great exam results and have received offers to study Scots law at university.

“Some of our applicants have been inspired to study law as a direct consequence of the challenges they faced in childhood, including visits to court, or the presence of family lawyers and social workers in their lives. Rather than being overcome by such challenges, they have been motivated to pursue a career in the law and make positive contributions to society in the future.

“Our first group of successful applicants are inspirational and reading their stories has been pretty humbling. I have no doubt that the legal profession will be all the richer for having such an inspiring group of people as part of it.”

Read Heather McKendrick’s blog for more on the first recipients of Lawscot Foundation. Find out more about supporting and/or mentoring the next generation of Scottish solicitors at Lawscot Foundation.