Liverpool Law Society is sole trustee for a number of charities.
The Pritt Fund, The Educational Foundation and the Conkerton Memorial Fund are all administered by Liverpool Law Society. A small group of past presidents and current directors of Liverpool Law Society give of their time to fulfil the Society’s obligation as sole trustee for these charities. These funds apply to solicitors, university law students and/or families in the City of Liverpool, the Metropolitan Boroughs of Wirral, Knowsley, and Sefton, Widnes, and Neston in the County of Cheshire.
The Society’s Education & Charities Sub Committee was set up to administer, amongst other duties, grants for local university students and solicitors and/or their families undergoing financial hardship. This involves liaising closely with The Solicitors’ Charity (formerly the SBA, the Solicitors Benevolent Association). The Society as trustee has been a long-term supporter of The Solicitors’ Charity.
The Pritt Fund donations to The Solicitors’ Charity are significant, representing one of the most sizeable amongst donations from charities, local Law Societies and solicitors’ firms.
More detailed information on each of the charities appears below.
Conkerton Memorial Fund
The Conkerton Memorial Fund was set up to recognise the devotion of Mr. and Mrs. Conkerton to the furtherance of legal education and with the specific intention of bringing together the legal profession and students of law at the universities of the City.
John and Mary Conkerton are fondly remembered by the more experienced practitioners and retired members throughout Merseyside for their enormous contribution to legal education in Liverpool, initially on the Finals Course at Liverpool Polytechnic (now Liverpool John Moores University) and later the Degree Courses at Liverpool University.
After they both died in 1979, the Conkerton Memorial Fund was established by a charitable trust deed on 9 September 1980. Every few years since then the Conkerton Memorial Lecture has been organised by Liverpool Law Society. Past high profile lecturers include Lord Scarman, Sir Frederick Lawton, Sir David Napley, Mrs. Barbara Mills QC, the Honourable Mrs. Justice Arden, Miss Cherie Booth QC, the Honourable Mr. Justice Ryder, The Rt Hon Lord Justice Leveson, The Rt. Hon. Lady Hale DBE PC, Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, the Rt. Hon. The Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury, the President of the Supreme Court, the Rt. Hon. Lord Dyson, MR, The Master of the Rolls, The Right Honourable Sir Terence Etherton, Profession Sir Mark Hedley and most recently in 2024 The Hon. Mr Justice Cobb.
More recently, the Fund has arranged an annual event aimed at 16 and 17-year-old Merseyside school children which explains about the different options available to them should they be considering a career in the Law. On average, 20-24 schools sign up to the event with between 150 -400 young people in attendance.
In addition, each year in July the Conkerton Memorial Prize for best exam performance for a Year 2 LL.B. student is presented at the University of Liverpool.
Educational Foundation
This charity was established on 9 April 1979 to further legal education and training of persons in the area of the Liverpool Law Society who are either training to be solicitors or who have recently qualified. The policy of the charity is to award prizes and grants in accordance with certain trust funds which had been established separately and prior to the present charity, and also in accordance with long-standing practice. Liverpool Law Society is the sole trustee.
The Pritt Fund
The charity was established by a charitable trust deed on 10 July 1919 to provide grants to necessitous solicitors practising within the area of the Liverpool Law Society and their necessitous dependants. Liverpool Law Society is the sole trustee.
Bequests
The Trustees would welcome any bequests to the charities. Please contact the Society (details below) marking your query for the attention of the CEO of Liverpool Law Society.
Prizes at the Society’s Newly Qualified celebration
Up to six prizes are awarded at Liverpool Law Society’s event to welcome newly qualified solicitors, pupil barristers, Fellows of CILEX, trainee Patent Attorneys and others into the Law. The names of the original prizes are retained, even though they are no longer awarded according to the terms that were originally laid down. They are now funded by Liverpool Law Society through its charitable funds.
Each prizewinner receives a copy of the renowned work, ‘A Century of Liverpool Lawyers’, published by the Society, together with a cheque.
The Timpron Martin Prize, The C. A. Getley Prize, The Enoch Harvey Prize, The Rupert Bremner Prize, The Atkinson Prize are all awarded for Achievement in Professional Examinations based on the results of the Legal Practice Course at the College of Law in Chester and Liverpool John Moores University, (and the University of Central Lancashire when they offer a candidate).
The E.Rex Makin Prize
This prize is awarded to the youngest Solicitor to be admitted to the roll in the Society’s constituency.
The Muir Matthews Prize
This prize is awarded to a member of the Merseyside Junior Lawyers Group who is judged to have made the largest contribution on an all round basis.
If you wish to make an enquiry regarding any of the above, please email contactus@liverpoollawsociety.org.uk.