The 60-hour course offering bespoke training for legal aid firms, will be piloted over the next four months, and rolled out across the country after that. There will be a dedicated website, and also a support group, so those attending the course can continue to share ideas and problems, afterwards.

Phil Walsh, practice manager at Miles & Partners and LAPG vice-chair, says: ‘I particularly like the emphasis on management community. It is extremely helpful to be part of a peer group which creates a safe environment where you can exchange anxieties as well as ideas.’

The course is aimed at practice managers, new and old, supervisors, and would-be practice managers. LAPG director Carol Storer says: ‘Everyone knows the best lawyers do not always want to become managers, but may have management thrust on them. Firms are under acute financial pressure, and often can’t draw breath long enough to react strategically to the changes they face. This funding will allow LAPG to develop training programmes on their behalf, to help them create more efficient and sustainable organisations.’

The funding has been given as part of the UKCES UK Futures Programme.