London's Law Schools Raise Fees

Every now and then I come across a story within the legal profession, facially unrelated to legal process outsourcing, yet so preposterous, that I feel compelled to draw it to the attention of my readers.

In the same week that legal giants Allen and Overy, and Latham and Watkins announce just shy of 700 layoffs, London’s leading law schools have stunned the legal market by hiking their Legal Practice Course (LPC) fees by an inflation-busting 8 per cent. Check out the following link from thelawyer.com for the full article. For my U.S. readership, who may be unaware of the nuances of the U.K. legal profession’s route to qualification, the LPC is the final year of study required prior to entering the profession as a trainee solicitor.

This marketing master stroke of course comes at a time when job prospects for trainee solicitors and young associates continue to deteriorate. On both sides of the Atlantic major firms are now routinely pushing back the start dates for new trainees and associates.

I believe that this is an incredibly short sighted move and one that will come back to haunt the London law schools in years to come.