Linklaters is raising the maintenance grants it pays its future trainees by up to 40% from this year, as part of a push to attract a more diverse range of students.

Prospective trainees sponsored by the magic circle firm currently receive a grant of £5,000 towards the cost of completing the seven-month Legal Practice Course (LPC), which Linklaters currently requires students to complete at the University of Law in London. This will rise to £7,000 from 1 April 2013.