Make a Difference in Scotland
If you are passionate about improving social mobility in the legal profession, there are a wealth of ways you can make a difference. Whether you are involved by offering an internship or becoming a mentor, any commitment at all can change the life of an aspiring lawyer.
Become a Mentor
The Social Mobility Foundation are always seeking new mentors for their Aspiring Professionals Programme, whereby you can mentor a young person who hopes to pursue a career in your field via email. The SMF will provide you with support throughout the mentor-mentee relationship and organises various events which may result in the opportunity to meet your mentee.
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More information:
https://www.socialmobility.org.uk/get-involved/professionals/ways-to-get-involved/
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Volunteer with Career Ready
Career Ready provides mentoring, masterclasses and internships to young people from less advantaged areas to prepare them for the world of work. You could volunteer to provide any of these services and help to boost social mobility and bridge the skills gap.
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More information:
https://careerready.org.uk/volunteer-with-us
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Provide an Internship
The Social Mobility Foundation relies on the involvement of organisations committed to improving social mobility to provide students from disadvantaged backgrounds with work experience. If your organisation could provide an internship, please get in touch.
More information:
https://www.socialmobility.org.uk/get-involved/professionals/ways-to-get-involved/
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Become a Guest Speaker
If you are a law student, paralegal, trainee or a solicitor, you could apply to be a guest speaker who attends schools to offer insight into your legal career.
Follow the sign-up link on this page:
https://www.lawscot.org.uk/qualifying-and-education/our-work-with-schools/schools-careers-events/
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Become a GROW Mentor
GROW is a legal mentoring initiative, pairing aspiring lawyers with legal professionals. Mentees are assigned a mentor who is able to offer tailored advice through frequent email contact, monthly scheduled video/phone calls and hopefully, very soon, in person catch ups, coffees and mentoring events.​ You could apply to be a mentor to help make a difference to social mobility in the legal profession.
GROW mentors benefit from:
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Supporting an aspiring lawyer wanting to enter the legal profession
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Progressing diversity and inclusion
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Learning about the challenges that students currently face
More information:
https://growmentoring.wixsite.com/grow
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Street Law
If you are a teacher and want your school to be involved with Street Law, please see this page for more information: https://www.lawscot.org.uk/qualifying-and-education/our-work-with-schools/street-law/email
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Become a Mentor
The Law Society of Scotland offers two mentoring schemes: career development; and student – trainee. The former provides support for students, graduates, trainees and solicitors. The latter provides support from trainee solicitors for students. The mentoring relationship lasts for around 12 months and is often administered online.
Mentors will receive training from the Law Society of Scotland which involves learning how to conduct your first session, how to structure effective conversations which help the mentee reach their goals and how to listen constructively.
More information:
https://www.lawscot.org.uk/members/career-growth/mentoring/volunteering-as-a-mentor/
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Become a LawScot Mentor
As well as offering financial assistance, the LawScot Foundation aims to support applicants to develop their skills and confidence as they progress through their studies and into the world of work. Mentoring is a key element to achieving this aim, with the role of the mentor will being hugely valuable to the successful applicants throughout their qualification process.
If you are a solicitor or trainee solicitor, you could become a mentor to support, encourage and guide students – known as ‘mentees’ - through their legal education journey as they make the transition from school to university, then later into the workplace.
More information:
https://www.lawscotfoundation.org.uk/support-us/become-a-mentor/
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Become a Mentor
MCR Pathways is dedicated to eliminating the education, job choices, and life chances gap that exits between care-experienced young people and their peers. We know that all young people are talented, but instability and severe disruptions at home make it massively more challenging for young people in or on the edge of the care system to succeed.
Our volunteer mentors are matched with a young person and help them realise their full potential. Mentors are carefully matched based on personality and experience. Every young person is different so we look for mentors from all walks of life. The only requirement is simply a desire to help a young person. When one person mentors, two lives are changed.
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More information:
https://mcrpathways.org/become-a-mentor/
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Become a STRIVE Mentor
Strive is a mentoring initiative for law students who:
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attended a state school
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have 320 UCAS points or are on track to receive a 2:1
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are diverse in any way, whether it be by gender, ethnicity or socio-economic background
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Strive believe that the path to success is paved with the support and belief of those who believed in us before we believed in ourselves. Mentors are a key part of their offering to law students. If you are passionate about inspiring change as a mentor, they would love to hear from you.
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More information:
Donald Dewar Debate
This is an annual school debating tournament with teams from across Scotland.
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Whether you are a law student, a trainee, a practising or retired solicitor or just love debating and are interested in being a judge for the debate, the Law Society of Scotland would love to hear from you!
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No experience is necessary, though an interest in debating is always welcome. If you would like to find out what is involved before registering, you can attend a debate and discuss the process with the panel of judges.
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More information:
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