A clutch of London’s leading law firms have committed around three-quarters of a million pounds to an initiative that aims to increase diversity in the legal profession.

Thirteen members of the City Solicitors’ Educational Trust (CSET) have set aside £250,000 for next year to finance the new project – aimed at encouraging students from a wider range of universities and backgrounds to consider a career in law – with similar totals expected for 2009 and 2010.