Scots law firms begin paying full Diploma fees

The Diploma in Legal Practice must be taken in addition to a qualifying LLB before a student can begin a traineeship at a Scottish law firm.

Both Aberdeen University and Edinburgh University currently charge £6,700 for the course, while the University of Glasgow charges £7,500.

Dundee and Strathclyde universities charges £6,300 and Robert Gordon University £6,200.

Trainees who joined Shepherd and Wedderburn in August this year will now receive a maintenance allowance and those who join the firm in August 2016 will have their full fees paid in addition to receiving the maintenance allowance.

CMS covers the Diploma fees and gives trainees a maintenance allowance totalling £5,000.

Pinsent Masons also pays fees in full and has done so for a number of years. In addition, the firm gives trainees a maintenance grant.

Meanwhile, Burness Paull, who previously did not contribute towards fees, will, from this year, pay them off entirely for incoming trainees.

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP told SLN the firm contributes up to £3,000 to the cost of the Diploma while Brodies said its policy is “under review”. In previous years the firm paid £1,000 towards fees.