Only 2% of lawyers working in law firms are black, according to diversity data published by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, which appears to show minimal progress on diversity in terms of ethnicity. According to SRA data, 23 per cent of lawyers attend fee-paying schools, compared to 7.5 per cent of the general population, while a greater proportion of lawyers (58 per cent) have professional training, compared to 37 per cent nationally. Only 17% of lawyers come from a disadvantaged socio-economic background, compared to 39% of the general population. We have provided an overview of the diversity of law firms in Wales in terms of gender, ethnicity and disability, based on all lawyers working in law firms headquartered in Wales. The data for Wales can be found in the Diversity Data Tool and we have compared it with the sum of the English regions and national statistics for Wales. Under the Equality Act 2010, there are nine protected traits whose discrimination is unlawful for employers. We asked whether people had a disability as defined by disability in the Equality Act, and a separate question to confirm whether their daily activities were limited by a medical condition or disability. We believe that there has long been a widespread declaration of disability in the legal sector, and we continue to work with others to build the confidence of lawyers when they say they have a disability. As noted below, this is the only category where we`ve seen a slight increase in “better not to say” since 2019, although the trend has been more positive over the years. It was not just the CEOs of advocacy organizations and academics who insisted that while the task force looks at socio-economic diversity at the executive level, it should also consider what is taught in schools about the legal profession and the commitment of law firms to train lawyers on the path to qualification.

The introduction of legal internships has paved the way for a legal career for those who would previously have been prevented from studying law due to high tuition fees. It seems like they`re all waiting for the day when the stats flatter them. When compiling the data, SRA asked companies to ask their employees to complete a diversity survey and then share the results with them. Women are over-represented at the level of lawyers, so the lack of diversity must also be addressed, otherwise the diversity survey will lack diversity. As a young woman, I`m tired of companies that impose gender diversity. I have seen many competent and hard-working partners in the city. The reasons why there are fewer women at the top are a complex issue and probably only due to outdated views/sexism in a small number of cases. A victim mentality doesn`t help anyone We are very proud of our record on diversity and inclusion. By simply always looking for great people, regardless of their background, we have a company full of brilliant creative minds.

Individuals who each make their own unique contributions to the life and business of Blaser Mills Law. However, progress has been made in recent years to expand access to the sector, and while organizational diversity goals are anything, increasing social mobility is a priority for many legal employers. The 2021 Law Firm Diversity Survey shows a slow but steady increase in diversity across all lawyers since the last survey in 2019. We include “better not to say” responses in this year`s analysis. This shows a slight decline in almost all categories, which is encouraging. We adapted this question to the wording of the 2021 Census and asked people if their gender identity matched their registered gender at birth. Due to the small numbers, we have rounded the percentages to one decimal place. In the diversity data tool, we round to whole numbers.

Already today, the latest statistics on the diversity of law firms, collected by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and published in April 2022, show that 58% of lawyers have professional training and that larger firms have an even higher proportion of lawyers with professional training. Members of the Law Society`s working group have organised 10 roundtables across the UK to gather views on the legal profession and I have helped lead leading London`s leading law firms and the in-house law roundtable. We changed the wording of the parenting question in 2021 (to align it with the Social Mobility Commission`s guidelines), which means we cannot compare the data with previous years. Although we asked about parental qualifications, it is not considered the most reliable indicator of social mobility – data are available in the Business Data Reporting Tool, but we have not elaborated on the main findings here. As a member of the Bar, the Women Lawyers Division promotes inclusion and advises and supports all lawyers, from articling students to retirees. The Association of Women Solicitors (AWS) also promotes and supports the interests of women in the legal profession. They enable professional development through educational events, networking and mentorship opportunities. Recognizing and promoting diversity to foster excellence An examination of differences by firm size reveals significant differences in diversity for larger law firms (with 50+ partners) compared to smaller ones (with one partner), illustrating the real challenges for these large firms in developing progress towards diversity. A frequently discussed topic, diversity in law is a top priority for legal employers. While much remains to be done, progress is being made to ensure that the legal profession accurately reflects the society it serves. The Black Solicitors Network (BSN) represents the interests of existing and emerging black lawyers in England and Wales; It advocates for “equal rights of access, retention and promotion of black lawyers.” The Junior Lawyers Group (JLG) aims to connect junior lawyers from across the legal industry and provide a forum for support, inspiration and advice.

We collect diversity data every two years from the law firms we regulate in England and Wales. Our last collection dates back to the end of summer 2021, when 90% of law firms provided us with their data. This is information from more than 181,333 people working in 8,782 companies. Mega-companies also seem somewhat wary of other measures of diversity. More than half of the lawyers in outfits with 50+ partners are women, but less than a third of the partners. (NB We include the other category and those who prefer not to say in the calculation of percentages for lawyers. National figures are calculated excluding these groups. According to the national approach, the distribution of lawyers is 66% employees, 14% of average socio-economic origin and 18% lower). Large law firms are increasingly lagging behind when it comes to diversity at the top, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has found. There are a few differences in age categories, depending on the type of legal work: when compiling their data, companies ask their employees to answer a standard set of diversity questions and then provide us with their overall information. In compiling our findings, we present information by different groups: SRA`s latest diversity survey shows that 8% of partners at the largest companies in England and Wales are black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, compared to 23% for small businesses and 35% for single-member outfits. While both larger and smallest companies saw an increase in the number of BAME partners compared to 2019, the increase in BAME partners was much larger, meaning the diversity gap widened.

The Commission for Social Mobility identifies parents` occupations as the most reliable indicator of socio-economic status. We reported parenting in accordance with the national approach, using three categories for socioeconomic background: occupational (or upper socioeconomic background), middle class, and working class (or lower socioeconomic background). It`s a pretty important stereotype to eliminate, and while it`s undeniable that the legal profession has its fair share of diversity and inclusion issues, there are initiatives to improve diversity, promote inclusion, and combat discrimination in the industry. There are differences in the proportion of black, Asian and ethnic minority lawyers depending on the type of legal work of law firms. Law firms that primarily engage in criminal work and those that primarily do retail work both have a higher proportion of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic lawyers: law firms in the industry recognize that they need to do more to create a level playing field on gender inequality. This explains why some have recently increased their gender diversity targets.