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SRA adapts Warwick Law School MSP approach in Toolkit for partnerships and initiatives
The WLS Multicultural Scholars Programme has been used as an example of good practice by the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) to help inform a new toolkit on ‘Improving access to legal careers’.
Throughout the last academic year, MSP Coordinators Dr Rajnaara Chowdhury Akhtar and Dr Joy Malala worked with members of the SRA, providing support and guidance on the development of their toolkit to improve access to legal careers, using experiences of MSP students to inform the approach.
The new toolkit was launched earlier this month to help law schools, law firms, in-house teams and other legal sector organisations develop partnerships and initiatives that support aspiring solicitors from underrepresented backgrounds. It brings together practical guidance and case studies showcasing successful partnerships between law schools, law firms and specialist organisations that others can learn from and adapt as needed. It is designed to help organisations identify the outcomes they want to achieve and choose initiatives that best meet their objectives.
These resources build on findings from independent research commissioned by the SRA and carried out by the University of Exeter. This examined the causes of differential outcomes in legal professional assessments and recommended actions for the legal sector.
The toolkit explores a range of approaches being used to improve access and opportunity, including outreach programmes, mentoring and coaching, academic support, work experience and initiatives that help create more inclusive workplaces. By sharing these approaches already in use across the sector, the SRA hopes to encourage greater collaboration and help organisations create opportunities that support a more inclusive and diverse legal profession.
(Information taken from SRA news itemLink opens in a new window: Published 14 September 2026)
Dr Rajnaara Chowdhury Akhtar, commented:
“It’s fantastic to see the work of MSP recognised in this way and, more importantly, to see our students’ learning and experience helping to shape wider efforts to improve access and opportunity within the legal profession. This is a good example of how the Law School’s MSP is influencing the sector where access to legal education and legal careers are concerned. We expect that the relationship will continue as the toolkit evolves.”
You can access the toolkit here: 'Improving access to legal careers: Toolkit for partnerships and initiativesLink opens in a new window’