The Changing Face of Legal Training: A Deep Dive into Diversity among UK Trainee Solicitors

Dec 22, 2023

Written By Nandini Jadeja

Diversity in the legal profession has become an increasing priority for law firms and legal providers, who aim to improve diversity and inclusion in the profession through the implementation of various schemes and targets. This article will analyse the current state of diversity among trainee solicitors in the UK and explore initiatives fostering positive change.

The current state of legal training diversity

A demographic overview of trainee solicitors in the UK reveals:

Gender: According to a Legal Futures Survey, 64% of newly qualified solicitors are women. However, only 35% of partners are women.

Ethnicity: The SRA has reported that, on average, 17% of lawyers are BAME.

Socio-economic background: In 2022, the SRA found that 22% of lawyers attended a fee-paying school, compared to 7% nationally. Similarly, only 17% of lawyers came from a lower socio-economic background, compared to 39% of the general population.

The most common barriers to access that aspiring solicitors from underrepresented backgrounds face include: not obtaining high grades in GCSEs/A-levels due to extenuating circumstances, being unable to undertake work experience due to having other responsibilities, the high cost of legal training and the financial burden of unpaid internships/work experience. At the recruitment stage, issues like unconscious bias also play a significant role in restricting the intake of diverse trainees.

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Initiatives driving diversity in legal Training

Social mobility initiatives are various and far-reaching, spanning from work experience opportunities pre-university to mentorship at trainee solicitor stage.

An example of a prominent initiative used by several law firms is ‘PRIME’, an allegiance of 61 law firms and in-house legal teams who are determined to improve access to the legal profession and promote socio-economic diversity. They do this through advocacy and providing work experience. As well as PRIME and similar schemes run by organisations such as ‘Aspiring Solicitors’ and ‘Bright Network’, many law firms have diversity access schemes of their own. These can range from mentorship opportunities to work experience weeks, so it is worth looking through their websites to find out more.

Mentorship and support networks

One of the most successful types of diversity initiatives is mentorship. Mentorship provides mentees with the support and guidance they need to progress in the legal profession. Mentorship also opens up an exchange between law firms and those underrepresented within the legal industry, sparking conversations around barriers to access and ways that law firms can help reduce them.

One example of a mentorship scheme for aspiring solicitors is the ‘The Student Lawyer Mentoring Scheme’, which matches students from underrepresented backgrounds with qualified solicitors and barristers. Mentorship opportunities are also offered by individual law firms, and the great thing about mentorship is that individuals can even foster a relationship of their own. Reaching out to people on LinkedIn and asking if they can be a mentor (formally or informally) still has all the benefits of mentoring.

The impact of diversity on legal practice

A diverse pool of trainees has more of an impact on the legal practice than you might think. Diversity contributes to a richer and more comprehensive legal practice, thus leading to better problem solving, improved client interaction and overall increased innovation within law firms. This is evidenced by firms like Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer creating a reverse mentoring scheme. By pairing a junior colleague from an underrepresented background with a senior colleague, Freshfields aims to ‘build diversity of thought, promote innovation, idea generation and novel approaches to solving complex problems.’

Overcoming remaining challenges

One of the biggest barriers to entry for underrepresented groups is unconscious bias and stereotypes within the training process. Strategies to mitigate this include blind recruitment processes, having multiple people on an interview panel, and providing information and training on unconscious bias. Educational initiatives and awareness campaigns designed to help foster and promote diversity also contribute to a more inclusive environment.

Recognizing and addressing intersectionality within diversity efforts is also important. Networks that help to foster this include the ‘InterLaw Diversity Forum’ and the ‘Black Women in Law’ Network.

The role of diversity in legal leadership

Despite these initiatives, there are still numerous inequalities present within the legal profession, particularly at a higher level. The representation of diverse individuals in leadership positions within law firms can be improved in some of the ways discussed in this article – for example by reducing unconscious bias and stereotypes. Representing diverse individuals at a higher level promotes and fosters inclusivity, which boosts problem solving, collaboration and overall firm performance.

Future trends and innovations

Technology is being leveraged to enhance diversity in legal training, including virtual recruitment events, online mentoring platforms, digital resources, and online assessment centres/recruitment processes. The integration of AI into legal platforms presents new issues for diversity as unconscious bias within this technology creates new challenges for recruiters. Law firms will need to be aware of how new technology can have a limiting impact on their efforts to promote diversity and inclusion.

On the other hand, emerging trends can also have a positive impact on the promotion of diversity. The automation of certain stages of the assessment process aids blind recruitment and can help law firms look at each application more holistically.

Conclusion

While the legal sector retained its place as the best represented sector (in terms of social mobility) in 2023, there is still considerable scope for improvement. The schemes and initiatives discussed above highlight some of the ways that the legal profession is evolving to embrace diverse perspectives and to create a more inclusive profession. However, it’s the responsibility of everyone in the legal field to actively contribute to fostering a more diverse and inclusive profession, whether that’s through education, mentorship or behavioural change.

Diversity