Young Community Lawyers Network (YCLN) is a youth led Community Interest Company (CIC). We exist to bridge the gap between underserved communities and the legal system by developing the next generation of community lawyers.

We were built with input from over 200 young people who participated in our T Level Placements, alongside contributions from at risk young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET). This is not a top down programme imposed on young people. It is designed, shaped, and increasingly run by the very people it benefits.

The Problem We Address

Over 35,000 students graduate with law degrees in the United Kingdom (UK) each year, yet only 25% successfully qualify and practise as solicitors or barristers. The remaining 75%, disproportionately from disadvantaged and migrant backgrounds, lack the connections, mentorship, and practical experience that their peers use to secure legal positions. Many are forced into non legal sectors despite years of legal education and voluntary work.

At the same time, over 50 million people in the UK cannot access legal services due to cost and availability. This is not a coincidence. It is a direct consequence of a legal profession that fails to recruit from the communities it supposedly serves.

YCLN exists to break this cycle.

What We Do

We operate as an Association Model membership organisation, providing continuous support to young people throughout their legal career journey, whether they choose university or the apprenticeship route.

We place young people aged 16 to 25 within Community Law Hubs across London, where they gain hands on casework experience under the supervision of qualified Community Lawyers. Our focus areas are the issues that affect our communities most directly:

Our Flagship Programme: CLAP

The Community Lawyer Apprenticeship Programme (CLAP) is our core pathway into the profession. It offers two tracks:

Track One: The Apprenticeship Route (for NEET and at risk youth)

A three year paid apprenticeship for young people not in education, employment, or training, or at risk of becoming NEET. Delivered in partnership with the Chartered Institute for Legal Executives (CILEx) and London South Bank University (LSBU) via the Community Law Training (CLawT) platform, participants earn while they learn, progressing through three levels of accreditation:

• Year One (Level 1): Foundational skills, taking client instructions, identifying legal issues, managing administrative tasks
• Year Two (Level 2): Complex casework, deepening understanding and competency in community law
• Year Three (Level 3): Advanced practice, shadowing litigation lawyers, developing advocacy skills, and potentially securing rights of audience in lower courts and tribunals

These qualifications are nationally recognised and can serve as exemptions for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE 2), opening pathways to solicitor or barrister qualification without the debt burden of the conventional university route.

Track Two: University Integration (for Bachelor of Laws (LLB) students)

For young people already enrolled in law degrees, we offer a concurrent paid apprenticeship that integrates practical legal training with academic studies. This ensures they graduate with both a degree and three years of relevant experience, the combination that employers actually value.

Our Partnerships

We do not work in isolation. Our delivery model depends on collaboration with organisations that share our commitment to equity and access:

• South London Community Law Network: community law infrastructure and hub coordination
• CAD HR: technical support and partnership development
• CILEx: accreditation and professional standards
• LSBU: delivery of qualifications via the CLawT platform
• Equality Trust, Supplytrain, Black Friars Settlement, Mortar: programme design, monitoring, and evaluation

We are also in active discussion with educational institutions, funders, and local authorities to expand the resources available to our participants.

Our Vision

We began in South London because that is where our founders are from and where the need is most acute. Our medium term goal is to expand YCLN to other regions, offering the same pathway to young people across the UK who are currently locked out of the legal profession.

We believe the law should be practised by the communities it affects. We believe young people from migrant and marginalised backgrounds deserve the same access to legal careers as anyone else. And we believe the best way to achieve this is to let young people lead.

If you are aged 16 to 25 and interested in a legal career, whether you are in education, not in employment, or simply unsure of your next step, we want to hear from you. Our weekly sessions run every Thursday and Friday, and we are actively recruiting for both CLAP tracks.

If you represent an organisation that shares our values and wants to explore partnership, or if you know a young person who would benefit from our work, please contact us.