CoL paints rosier picture of LPC to TC ratio

The College of Law has recently published research that shows that vacancies for training contracts are likely to outnumber new LPC graduates within the next few years. 

The College has come up with two scenarios based on "current market indicators". The first, more dramatic, is based on Law Society LPC enrolment statistics. It determines that the gap between the number of registered trainees and the number of LPC graduates could widen in 2011-12 to mean that there are 14% more available training contracts than students passing the LPC that year. This would mean a shortfall of around 550 places.

The second, more conservative, scenario is based on LPC enrolment figures from CAB and part-time enrolment numbers from the SRA, which differ from the Law Society statistics. It concludes that the number of training contract vacancies could exceed the number of new LPC graduates by 2013-14, with a shortfall of around 100 places.

These predictions come at a time when some sections of the legal profession are focusing their efforts on warning young people about the risks of considering a career in law due to the shrinking number of training contracts (see "Law Society warns students off law" and "Number of training contracts down 16%").

Professor Nigel Savage, CoL chief executive, warns: "The legal profession seems to have a short memory as we saw this same phenomenon after the recession in the early 1990s when there was a shortage of trainees for several years. Now more than ever, as activity in the legal market picks up following the recession, it is vital that we encourage the brightest and best students into law and ensure that we don’t lose talent to other professions."