Training for legal aid managers

The Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG) is to offer bespoke management training for legal aid firms and not-for-profit organisations.

According to LAPG, these providers have traditionally found it difficult to focus on management due to a lack of time, resources and management expertise. It intends to offer them a package of management training which is flexible, affordable and relevant enough to overcome these obstacles. The training will be provided by consultants Vicky Ling, author of the Legal Aid Handbook, and Matthew Howgate, a former legal aid lawyer.

Funding for the training will be provided by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) UK Futures Programme, after the LAPG won a share of £875,000 funding.

Carol Storer, LAPG director, says: “Everyone knows that the best lawyers do not always want to become managers but may have management thrust upon them.  

“Firms are under increasingly acute financial pressure, which makes it all but impossible for them to invest in management and training, or draw breath long enough to react strategically to the changes they face. This funding will help take a huge burden off the sector, by allowing LAPG to develop training programmes on their behalf, and create a more efficient and sustainable future for organisations and the clients they serve.”

Consultation sessions have already been held in Manchester, Newcastle, Bangor and London.

Nicola Mackintosh QC (Hon), LAPG co-chair and sole principal of Mackintosh Law, days: “Running a legal aid firm is a uniquely challenging experience. The sector is highly regulated and the work is extremely skilled, complex and demanding. All of this has to be dealt with against a backdrop of reductions in fees. It is increasingly difficult for firms to innovate or invest in their own futures, which is why this grant will be so invaluable to the profession, not just now but for the years ahead.”