Overview

• The SRA has distributed £360,000 from contractual penalties paid by Kaplan into an SQE Access and Reinvestment Fund.
• Grants have been awarded to 11 charities, universities and professional bodies to cover the £1,934 SQE1 and £2,974 SQE2 entry fees for aspiring solicitors facing financial hardship.
• Each recipient organisation will conduct its own selection process to identify up to 190 candidates for the first supported exam cohort.
• SRA chief executive Paul Philip said the initiative aims to remove financial barriers and promote a more diverse legal profession by ensuring talent determines who can qualify.
• The regulator will track the impact of this pilot scheme and may revive the fund if further penalty payments become available.