How Linkcity is Supporting the Diversity Access Scheme

The beginning of 2022 marked the start of our partnership with the Law Society, supporting their Diversity Access Scheme. An initiative driven by Leasha Lynch, a Solicitor for Linkcity, we now offer work experience for students on the Law Society’s Diversity Access Scheme.

Linkcity is delighted to be working more closely with the Law Society to offer valuable experience to students who might otherwise struggle to gain such opportunities. Having previously been awarded a scholarship for the Scheme, Leasha’s insight has been invaluable. The Diversity Access Scheme is a scholarship programme offered by the Law Society to help aspiring law students from less advantaged backgrounds to pursue a career in law, by providing funding for the Legal Practice Course (LPC) or Solicitors Qualifying Exam. In addition to the funding, awardees are provided with work experience opportunities and mentoring. The scheme receives hundreds of applications each year, but only 10 scholarships are awarded, so it is a highly competitive process.

Leasha said, “As a previous awardee of a scholarship from the scheme, I have seen the benefits first-hand. Whilst the funding is the key component of the scheme, the access to a mentor to help guide you through such a daunting period is equally as valuable.

“Often the students don’t know others in the profession that they can speak to and get advice from, so having the chance to speak to someone already working as a qualified solicitor is very important. I have volunteered as a mentor to help offer some insight and advice to my current mentee.”

Since the year began, we have welcomed two students to Linkcity to complete their internships with us. Both studying for their LPC, Romesa and Lily explained why their time with us was so valuable.

Romesa said, “My placement with Linkcity will play a significant role in my career development in the long-term. Over the two weeks, I was given real and challenging work to complete by both my supervisor and other lawyers in the team. Having this exposure, as an aspiring solicitor, means that I have a better understanding of what this role entails on a daily basis.

“This experience will inevitably make me a stronger candidate for future applications as I will be able to confidently demonstrate the importance of solicitors and delivering practical and commercially aware solutions to clients.

The placement with Linkcity has given me a real insight into what it is like working in-house which is a very rare opportunity. This will benefit me in the future when deciding whether to qualify with an in-house or a private practice law firm.”

Lily said, “The exposure I have gained through my time at Linkcity has helped me to learn about alternative opportunities available in the legal sector. This type of exposure is often difficult to obtain. Working for a global company has also allowed me to consider both local impacts and global challenges to this line of work.

“What’s more, as I come from a lower socio-economic background than most in the legal practice, I lack a network or contacts whom I can ask questions to. This has therefore been my first real opportunity to gain insights and advice on the legal profession, helping me to make the leap between academic learning to its practical application in a legal setting.”

We wish both Romesa and Lily the best of luck with the rest of their studies and look forward to welcoming more students to Linkcity in the future.