More than 20 leading law firms have signed up to a scheme that guarantees work experience for young people from less privileged backgrounds.

The commitment, launched this week under the name of Prime, will see firms offer a minimum of 30 hours of work experience per place and a focus on business and personal skills such as oral presentation, networking and negotiation.

Firms must also offer a way to maintain contact after work experience has ended as a well as provide financial assistance during the programme.

David Morley, senior partner of Allen & Overy and chair of Prime, said: ‘It’s harder now than it was 30 years ago to get into the legal profession if you’re from an average or below-average income family. As a profession, we must change that.

‘For some time now, law firms have been providing their own work experience opportunities for less privileged young people. By collaborating across the profession, Prime will create a step change in the legal sector’s commitments to fairer access, giving more students their first insight into the wide variety of career opportunities available in the legal sector.’

The number of places firms will have to provide must be no less than 50% of the number of training contracts offered each year.

The target for the profession is to provide 2,500 places by 2015, although firms who have already signed up must achieve their own individual target by July 2013.

The scheme has the backing of the law societies of England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, and educational charity The Sutton Trust.

The founding members of Prime are: Addleshaw Goddard, Allen & Overy, Arthur Cox, Ashurst, Blake Lapthorn, Brodies, Clifford Chance, CMS Cameron McKenna, Dickinson Dees, DLA Piper, Dundas & Wilson, Eversheds, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Herbert Smith, Hogan Lovells, Linklaters, Maclay, Murray & Spens, McGrigors, Norton Rose, Pinsent Masons, Shepherd and Wedderburn, Slaughter and May and Trowers & Hamlins.