There is already in existence the City Solicitors Educational Trust which offers funding to certain projects. However, it seems unlikely that this Trust would be able to sustain a nation- wide IT project which may be required. It is clear that there is a willingness on the part of certain law firms to assist in the purchase of both hardware and software for law schools. However, this approach to funding is likely to favour either those law schools based in the larger cities and thereby have an opportunity to develop good links with the local firms of solicitors or alternatively, those law schools that act as suppliers of potential trainee solicitors. In the United States, Microsoft is working with the Association of American Law Schools to make available copies of Office Professional for Windows 95, a software suite that law students are likely to encounter in later years.
Commercial sponsorship remains a possibility.
However, it is unlikely that donations based on the US model would be repeated in this country - companies generally look for an eventual return on their corporate donations of this nature in the form of software sales. Only a percentage of law students go on to become practising lawyers and subsequent consumers. However, this Committee intends to pursue this option further and hopes to be able to report progress in due course. However, we recognise that such an eventuality is extremely unrealistic at least in the short term.