Damning research
The Panel initially gathered information from organisations such as the Sutton Trust, which had released some damning figures regarding entry to the top professions. Notably, the legal profession was singled out as the most elitist. The figures revealed that 82% of all barristers graduated from Oxbridge, as did 78% of judges and 53% of the top solicitors. In addition to this, 70% of all judges had attended independent fee-paying schools, as had 68% of barristers and 55% of all top solicitors. The figures clearly highlighted the role that educational background play in securing a place within the higher echelons of the legal profession. But more significant is the role of money: one can surmise from the figures that those who could afford an expensive education went on to occupy the best positions in the legal profession.
What then are the prospects for the rest of the masses; that is, students who attend state schools and do not go to Oxford or Cambridge, and those who come from less privileged backgrounds? The answer to this question is not easily determined. On the dismal end of things, the Milburn Report singled out the legal profession as ‘the most exclusive’ of all the top professions, a statement that suggests that a law graduate would find it harder to acquire a job within the profession than graduates in other fields of study. Also, consider the tormenting reality of student debt. An average university graduate is said to have debts of at least £14,161. But most law students proceed to study for another year at the LPC or BPTC stages and these courses will lead them to incur additional debt arising from course fees and accommodation.

Stiff competition
Furthermore, aspiring barristers have to go through the immensely challenging and competitive stages of finding pupillage and then tenancy. Places are very limited for pupillage and, even if you acquire one, there is no guarantee of getting a tenancy, a
fact that contributes to the uncertainty of a career in the legal profession.

Poverty of aspiration?
Accordingly, it is tremendously important for us as law students to fully appreciate what difficulties lie ahead of us and what we can do to reduce the impact of such difficulties. Lord Neuberger in his speech at The Times/Herbert Smith Advocacy Competition (which required students to investigate the existence of a ‘class ceiling’ in the legal profession and whether it was breakable or there for good) conceded that there are some barriers that make it difficult to enter the legal profession. But he also argued that ‘poverty of aspiration’ is ‘the greatest general barrier to opportunity and entry into the professions’. By this, his Lordship suggested that developing abilities at home or in the classroom and encouraging students to have aspiration was a significant step to countering the difficulties of entry into the professions. In his Lordship’s view, ‘merit and merit alone’ should ultimately be enough to counter the difficulties of entry into the legal profession.

Encouraging signs
Indeed, much has been said about the elitism and exclusivity of the legal profession and much more about what is being done to eradicate it. However, there are numerous encouraging indications of a more open and inclusive profession and signs that things are changing. Not least of these is the fact that admissions to the LPC and BPTC stages are not restricted (see our interview with Richard de Friend, Director, College of Law, on p4) nor are there any plans to restrict such access. There is further evidence from prominent members of the profession that suggests the ‘class ceiling’ could be a myth in organisations such as the CPS (see our interview with Roger Coe-Salazar, the Chief Crown Prosecutor for Kent and the south-east on p9). Further consolation can be taken from the fact that while the law has been highlighted as an exclusive profession, other fields, such as journalism and medicine, have also been subject to similar indictments, a suggestion perhaps that the more rewarding the profession, the harder it is to join. In conclusion, university student debts will invariably be incurred whether you are reading law or studying beauty therapy. Similarly, stiff competition for jobs in the legal profession ought to be expected due to the demand for such places, the quality of the applicants and the prestige associated with being an accomplished legal professional. Instead of burying our heads in the sand and worrying about the elitism of the legal profession, perhaps we as law students should take the advice littered across this issue of The Argument. We should develop our abilities to a standard that would rival students from other universities, have high aspirations and seize all the opportunities available to us here at Kent. This includes fully utilising our careers advisory service, participating in mooting competitions and undertaking work placements and mini-pupillages as much as possible. If it is true that a ‘class ceiling’ exists in the legal profession then it must also be true that it can be broken, as long as we persist in knocking on it with our sharpened abilities, aspirations and merits.

Walker Syachalinga is in the third year of a Law LLB