Current Opportunities (last updated 15 September 2009)

Thinking of a career in legal aid?
Read the following:

An article entitled ‘Practice that makes perfect’ by YLAL Chair Laura Janes on the legal aid profession for The Independent newspaper’s student magazine ‘Diversity in law’ (September 2009): http://www.independentezines.co.uk/diversityinlaw/vol4/

An article written by YLAL committee member Gwendolen Morgan for careers web site Prospects:
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Law/Features/The_Legal_Aid_solicitor/p!elkbmib

A LawCareers.net article, ‘The State of Legal Aid’, which contains comments from Laura Janes, Chair of YLAL: http://www.lawcareers.net/Information/Features/Detail.aspx?r=1303

Looking for experience or jobs in legal aid?
Keep an eye on the following:

The LSC usually offers around 150 training contract grants (help towards the professional course fees and contributions to firms to offer training contracts in legal aid) each year.
http://www.legalservices.gov.uk/public/training_contract_grants.asp

The Human Rights Lawyers’ Association offers small bursaries to help people to do human rights related internships and also lists relevant vacancies
http://www.hrla.org.uk/

Legal Action Group (LAG) lists the adverts in its magazine – go to "Magazine" > "current month" > "Legal Action ads"
http://www.lag.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=88852

The Legal Aid Practitioners Group also has adverts
http://www.lapg.co.uk/advertpage.cfm?adid=410

LawCareers.net publishes paralegal vacancies, some of which are in legal aid work: http://www.lawcareers.net/ImmediateVacancies.aspx

YLAL publishes opportunities that we are made aware of here (login required).