The United Kingdom Government has announced £1.5m in annual funding to create up to 100 additional training places for aspiring criminal barristers, in a move aimed at opening up one of the country’s most prestigious professions to talented people from all backgrounds.
The scheme, launched on Tuesday, will provide young people with the practical training required to qualify as criminal barristers while helping strengthen a profession facing a depleted pipeline of junior advocates.
Under the initiative, government funding will support pupillages that would not otherwise be available, giving aspiring barristers an opportunity to gain the practical experience, education, supervision and mentoring needed to enter the Criminal Bar.
Minister for Courts and Legal Services Sarah Sackman KC MP said her own experience of entering the profession had reinforced the importance of ensuring that opportunities were accessible to talented people regardless of their background.
“I’ll never forget the day I was called to the Bar. It was a privilege to enter a profession that can help individuals in times of crisis and support the delivery of justice in this country. I want those opportunities open to the brightest people from all over the country and every background,” she said in the Tuesday release posted on the UK Home Office website.
