CooperBurnett LLP is proud to be supporting this new qualification and has already met with some of the potential candidates, who will be spending time gaining experience with us in Tunbridge Wells as part of a paralegal placement scheme. This will enable them to experience practice on a weekly basis, alongside their final year of studies.
This integrated MLaw qualification will equip students for the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE) route and open doors to a wide range of legal careers. Students undertaking this four-year course will enhance their understanding of the foundations of legal knowledge, with the fourth year being the opportunity to blend traditional vocational training with legal practice.
Partner Victoria Sampson says: “CooperBurnett fosters a culture of supporting and training the next generation and we are thrilled to be part of this new initiative to enable, empower and encourage students into the profession via the MLaw Paralegal scheme.”
Director of MLaw and Senior Lecturer, Per Laleng, is looking forward to welcoming the inaugural cohort of MLaw students: “Our MLaw provides students with a unique and exciting opportunity to prepare for the SQE, whilst honing their critical thinking and intellectual competencies.”
One of the key objectives of the profession in introducing the SQE route was to increase diversity within the profession. Kent already has a diverse student population with 59% of first-year entrants in 2022/23 coming from non-white backgrounds. This diverse student body will feed directly into the MLaw. In addition, the MLaw enables students to acquire the functioning legal knowledge they will need to pass the SQE without having to find additional postgraduate funding. This is because they can use a government undergraduate loan to pay for the whole course, which makes MLaw affordable and accessible to a broader range of students.
