LAPG receives funding to train legal aid firms

The Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG) has been selected to receive a share of £875,000 from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES).

The funding is part of the UKCES UK Futures Programme and will enable the LAPG to create bespoke management training for legal aid firms and organisations.

Many legal aid firms and not-for-profit providers have traditionally struggled to focus strategically on management, due to concerns over lack of time, resources and management expertise. The LAPG hopes to use the funding to create flexible, affordable and relevant training.

Carol Storer, LAPG director, said: "Everyone knows that the best lawyers do not always want to become managers but may have management thrust upon them. Firms are under increasingly acute financial pressure, which makes it all but impossible for them to invest in management and training, or draw breath long enough to react strategically to the changes they face.

"This funding will help take a huge burden off the sector, by allowing LAPG to develop training programmes on their behalf, and create a more efficient and sustainable future for organisations and the clients they serve."

Consultation sessions are being held around the country, demonstrating a strong appetite within the profession for the training.

LAPG co-chair and sole principal of Mackintosh Law, Nicola Mackintosh QC (Hon), said: "Running a legal aid firm is a uniquely challenging experience. The sector is highly regulated and the work is extremely skilled, complex and demanding. All of this has to be dealt with against a backdrop of reductions in fees. It is increasingly difficult for firms to innovate or invest in their own futures, which is why this grant will be so invaluable to the profession, not just now but for the years ahead."