City of London Law Society funds All Rise workshops

The City of London Law Society (CLLS) revealed a significant new support package for All Rise Workshops, an initiative aimed at delivering legal education in primary and junior schools serving disadvantaged communities within 15 miles of the City of London. This initiative will result in the launch of at least 15 new workshops, designed to ignite an interest in legal careers among pupils who might lack the exposure or resources to consider this pathway.

With a funding commitment of £7,500, the CLLS is addressing a pressing need for early educational interventions to improve social mobility and increase diversity within the legal profession. James Stewart, a solicitor-turned-teacher and the founder of All Rise, expressed his gratitude for this support, stating “I am incredibly grateful to the City of London Law Society for its support. With this, we will be able to reach many more schools in communities where opportunities for enrichment may be limited. As a result, more young people will gain a greater understanding of the legal and justice systems and how it shapes their lives. Teachers and pupils repeatedly tell us that these workshops are transformative, helping students to see the law as a positive force in society and to see that a career in law is within their reach.”

The All Rise workshops offer interactive sessions that help pupils grasp their rights and responsibilities while illustrating how the law protects their voices and choices. Each session includes creative elements such as mock ‘crown court’ trials, discussions on cyberbullying, and explorations of significant historical and fictional case studies. Having already reached over 6,500 students, All Rise has garnered acclaim, with the former President of the Law Society of England and Wales, Dr. I. Stephanie Boyce, noting that it is "so important to ensuring our children are able to better understand the law and how it affects them".

Patrick McCann, CEO of the CLLS, acknowledged the disparity between access to legal professions and the geographic proximity of disadvantaged communities to the City, stating “There is a clear gap between geographic proximity to the City and access to many of its professions. The CLLS is uniquely placed to help City Law reach into these disadvantaged communities and extend the profession’s reach into an underserved section of the talent pipeline. My hope is that boosting All Rise’s funding and widening its impact will set an example for the legal sector and in the long term will demonstrate the clear value of boosting awareness, confidence, and aspiration at an early stage.”