This paper discusses the findings of a study of students with parental responsibility (student-parents) in England and Scotland. Exploring participants’ experiences of pastoral and academic support during their university journey, the study builds on previous small-scale research projects into the needs of student-parents (Todd, 2023a; 2023b) and was undertaken in the wake of both the UK's Universities and Colleges Admissions Service's (UCAS) new question inviting student-parents to self-identify when applying to university and the 2023 introduction of the Office for Students’ (OfS) Equality of Opportunity Risk Register (EORR) for institutions based in England. The study's findings reveal pockets of institutional good practice but also systemic failures in pastoral and academic support for student-parents across the sector, which pose a considerable risk to their retention, progression and success. This paper links these failures to the risk factors identified in the EORR, explores recommendations for practice to minimise these risks, and shares the findings that contributed to the OfS's decision, in January 2024, to include student-parents in the EORR, meaning all providers in England will now be obliged to have regard to this cohort in their Access and Participation planning.

The second in a three-part series provides detailed, practical guidance on how student parents can be supported to succeed at UK universities

Women in Law Pledge signatories met at a recent round table to discuss flexible working and how it can be used to promote the progression and retention of women in the legal sector. Our Women Solicitors Network committee co-chairs Chantal Davies and Liz Turner explore the findings of the discussion and set out five top tips to support you with your approach to flexible working.

This blog for HE Professional provides research-informed insights into how providers can best support students with parental responsibility through their studies.

With the advent of the Solicitors’ Qualifying Exam (SQE), Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) allows for flexibility in the journey to qualification as a solicitor in England & Wales that was not previously permitted by the Period of Recognised Training. This development was heralded as a lever to widening access to the profession, with the potential to assist those who may not have been recruited onto traditional graduate-level training programmes in securing a qualified legal role. This paper discusses the findings of empirical research conducted by the authors with a view to understanding the perceptions of, and attitudes towards, QWE of those responsible for recruitment in UK law firms. It reveals a friction between the perceived, and actual, value of QWE obtained via non-traditional routes and exposes the threat that law firm stances on QWE pose to the regulator’s aim of widening access to the profession.

This case study considers the impact on student wellbeing of 'Law in Action', a Level 6 module co-constructed with students. The module aims to empower students to appreciate their transferable skills, understand how to articulate them to themselves and future employers, how to identify, and deal with, imposter syndrome, and to appreciate the importance of self-care and mental wellbeing within the legal profession.

In December, the Law Society’s Women Solicitors Network Committee hosted the newly named Carrie Morrison Lecture at the University of Chester Law School, bringing this annual lecture event focusing on gender equality within the legal sector to the regions for the first time. Building on our 100 Years of Women Solicitors celebrations in 2022, this was an opportunity to reflect on past achievements but more importantly to look forward to the next hundred years. A thought-provoking keynote was provided by Victoria Evans (Level Law) ably supported by a panel of sector representatives; Deyontae James (rradar Law) and Carla Bennett (UNISON).

This research-informed, evidence-based, peer reviewed toolkit aims to assist personal tutors to provide effective support to their student-parent personal tutees.

By engaging in pro bono work whilst at university, students demonstrate that they are good citizens. Students perform a valuable service for members of the local community, and the skills they learn enhance their ability to secure, and succeed in, a graduate role. But is this enough? Should we, as clinical legal educators, be doing more to facilitate students becoming active (and not just good) citizens, who know not only how to ‘do’ pro bono, but who also actively engage with the why of pro bono? Can facilitating a critical understanding of the political and social backdrop to the need for pro bono advice engender a genuine commitment to social justice which students can take with them into their working lives? This paper explores the drivers for an ‘active citizenship’ approach to pro bono learning and reflects on the pilot year of a student-led module aimed at fostering social responsibility and a strong sense of social justice to achieve a long-lasting commitment to pro bono in the lawyers of the future

With the introduction of the Solicitors’ Qualifying Exam (SQE) in September 2021, sweeping changes were made to the rules relating to qualifying as a solicitor, including the introduction of a period of two year’s Qualifying Work Experience (‘QWE’) which can be undertaken either before or after the candidate completes the SQE assessments and can be collected from up to four organisations, including law firms, law centres, charities, in-house legal teams, and university legal advice clinics. The rules around QWE can be complex to decipher. Following discussions with stakeholders in this area, the authors published two research-informed peer-reviewed student guides to QWE. This Careers Advisers' Companion accompanies the student-facing guides and aims to provide Advisers with an overview of the most important issues to discuss with students when helping them to navigate the rules around QWE.