The ‘Pathways’ concept began at The University of Edinburgh in 2001 with the launch of the ‘Pathways to the Professions’ programme, aimed at students from the Edinburgh area who were interested in law or medicine. Supported by The Sutton Trust, the programme was a great success and has become an established element of the university’s widening participation provision.

In 2002, The College of Law combined with The Sutton Trust to support a ‘Law and Society’ Winter School at the London School of Economics, and in 2005 the College funded research undertaken by the Trust to establish “The Educational Backgrounds of the UK’s Top Solicitors, Barristers and Judges”. The Report is available to download.

The research found that 68% of UK-educated barristers and 75% of UK-educated judges are educated in the fee-paying sector, despite the fact that overall only 7% of young people are educated in this sector. The evidence in the report shows that young people from the state sector are significantly underrepresented at the top echelons of the law profession.

The statistics related to university attendance are even starker with 82% of barristers in leading chambers and 81% of judges in the High or Appeal Courts either Oxford or Cambridge graduates.

One year after the publication of the research, The College of Law and The Sutton Trust agreed to establish ‘Pathways to Law’ and invited leading English universities with law faculties and respected widening participation portfolios to submit tenders to deliver the programme.