No matter how early in your legal career, it’s never too early to start considering how you are going to pay it forward to the next generation of aspiring lawyers.
I did my LLB from 2007-211 after leaving school in fifth year. I didn’t fully qualify as a solicitor until I was 30, and did various things before commencing my traineeship. My observations reflect what I think would have been beneficial to me pre-traineeship, and with the advantage of experience, what I think young lawyers might benefit from.
Universities which run free legal advice clinics, whether or not they are a compulsory part of undergraduate degrees or postgraduate diplomas, are always looking for qualified solicitors to supervise students tasked with giving legal advice to the public. I supervise students at the University of Edinburgh Free Legal Advice Clinic, a compulsory part of their postgraduate diploma. The students seem to get a lot out of this experience in terms of meeting qualified practitioners, learning how to deal with real clients, and furthering their knowledge of practical legal topics. Junior lawyers should be encouraged to explore opportunities like this to assist both the next generation of lawyers and to promote access to justice for those who cannot afford legal fees.
Having consulted the trainees where I work, I believe a valuable way to pay it forward is offering work experience to students, if you and your firm can accommodate that. The trainee I currently supervise told me she found shadowing the most valuable experience in the lead-up to starting her training contract. Work experience in firms is particularly valuable to those with no legal background or connections to other lawyers.
An obvious way of paying it forward to the next generation is to take an active role in the development of trainee solicitors in your firm. The Law Society of Scotland tells us that you cannot be directly responsible for supervising a trainee until you are at least three years qualified, but there are other ways to assist. The best way is to get trainees actively involved in your cases, taking them to court and consultations. Delegate meaningful, challenging but manageable work to them. Encourage them to ask questions. Take them to networking events. Introduce them to counsel and clients. Qualified solicitors can start on day one of qualification in paying it forward if they make time for the trainee in their team.
You can also create opportunities for the younger generations to meet each other and learn. You could host an event at your firm aimed at connecting younger lawyers, or offer to provide some CPD. Public speaking isn’t for everyone but the benefits of CPD are obvious. Everyone gets to learn and meet their Law Society CPD requirements, and the speaker gets the ego boost from applause and being the holder of all knowledge. If there is a chance to have a small reception after the CPD, this can make younger lawyers and students really feel like they are part of a network, and like they belong, which is often half the battle.
These are all very basic ways of dedicating time to the betterment of the next generation of lawyers. Very senior lawyers out there are winning awards for being effective mentors after having dedicated large parts of their careers to the development of younger lawyers. We should all aspire to be like them.
This article was published in The Scotsman on Monday 17 August 2026.
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Alannah Jones
Why it’s never too early to start paying it forward
No matter how early in your legal career, it’s never too early to start considering how you are going to pay it forward to the next generation of aspiring lawyers.
I did my LLB from 2007-211 after leaving school in fifth year. I didn’t fully qualify as a solicitor until I was 30, and did various things before commencing my traineeship. My observations reflect what I think would have been beneficial to me pre-traineeship, and with the advantage of experience, what I think young lawyers might benefit from.
Universities which run free legal advice clinics, whether or not they are a compulsory part of undergraduate degrees or postgraduate diplomas, are always looking for qualified solicitors to supervise students tasked with giving legal advice to the public. I supervise students at the University of Edinburgh Free Legal Advice Clinic, a compulsory part of their postgraduate diploma. The students seem to get a lot out of this experience in terms of meeting qualified practitioners, learning how to deal with real clients, and furthering their knowledge of practical legal topics. Junior lawyers should be encouraged to explore opportunities like this to assist both the next generation of lawyers and to promote access to justice for those who cannot afford legal fees.
Having consulted the trainees where I work, I believe a valuable way to pay it forward is offering work experience to students, if you and your firm can accommodate that. The trainee I currently supervise told me she found shadowing the most valuable experience in the lead-up to starting her training contract. Work experience in firms is particularly valuable to those with no legal background or connections to other lawyers.
An obvious way of paying it forward to the next generation is to take an active role in the development of trainee solicitors in your firm. The Law Society of Scotland tells us that you cannot be directly responsible for supervising a trainee until you are at least three years qualified, but there are other ways to assist. The best way is to get trainees actively involved in your cases, taking them to court and consultations. Delegate meaningful, challenging but manageable work to them. Encourage them to ask questions. Take them to networking events. Introduce them to counsel and clients. Qualified solicitors can start on day one of qualification in paying it forward if they make time for the trainee in their team.
You can also create opportunities for the younger generations to meet each other and learn. You could host an event at your firm aimed at connecting younger lawyers, or offer to provide some CPD. Public speaking isn’t for everyone but the benefits of CPD are obvious. Everyone gets to learn and meet their Law Society CPD requirements, and the speaker gets the ego boost from applause and being the holder of all knowledge. If there is a chance to have a small reception after the CPD, this can make younger lawyers and students really feel like they are part of a network, and like they belong, which is often half the battle.
These are all very basic ways of dedicating time to the betterment of the next generation of lawyers. Very senior lawyers out there are winning awards for being effective mentors after having dedicated large parts of their careers to the development of younger lawyers. We should all aspire to be like them.
This article was published in The Scotsman on Monday 17 August 2026.