The government fund will provide support for up to 40 new legal aid trainees, paying for 50 per cent of their salaries. In addition, trainees’ regulatory costs, national insurance, practising certificate costs and trainee CPD will all be half-funded by the grants, which will cover costs for the full term of the traineeships.

The Law Society of Scotland will manage the fund on behalf of the government and is now accepting applications from firms.

Maureen Duffy, who recently secured a criminal traineeship and whose idea it was to create the fund, told Scottish Legal News she was “delighted to have played a role” in establishing the scheme.

She added, however, that “the chronic underfunding of legal aid remains” and mooted licensed legal service providers as one solution.

She said: “I know of several investors who would gladly invest in such a structure and I think as a whole the legal industry in Scotland perhaps needs to be more creative in terms of structure and business models.

“I do appreciate the ethical balance to be struck and the potential conflicts, but I believe there is scope for change within the sector, beyond legal aid issues, to make smaller law firm models more profitable and hence able to train up the next generation.”

Ms Duffy is also a member of New Generation Lawyers, a group of NQ solicitors and trainees formed to promote the interests of criminal lawyers.

She said: “Even though I’ve now secured a traineeship, I remain committed to campaigning for change and improvement within the sector through my work with New Generation Lawyers. I strongly believe in fighting for the marginalised in society.”

Ken Dalling, president of the Law Society of Scotland, said: “We have pushed hard for support for the legal aid sector and are pleased that the legal aid traineeship fund is now in place. It provides a much-needed boost for this hard-pressed, yet vital, part of the profession and is a step forward in addressing concerns over future sustainability.

“There are still serious issues to be resolved on how to ensure that the legal aid sector remains viable with ongoing investment by government at an appropriate level, yet the traineeship fund is a positive move and a move in the right direction.

“It is hugely important that the legal aid sector is not left behind and that it is an area of the law in which law graduates not only want to work but one in which they can thrive in the longer term. That is why we will be evaluating the impact of the fund on an ongoing basis. In will be important to assess its effectiveness at attracting trainees to the sector and retaining them as newly qualified solicitors.”

To be eligible to apply for the funding, firms must have at least 20 per cent of their business come from legal aid work and trainees hired as a result of grants will need to spend the majority of their time working on legal aid cases.

For more information on the fund and how to apply, click here.