20 March 2026
The legal profession’s claim to be a ‘guardian of fairness’ is under scrutiny after stark findings on gender imbalance and opaque progression. Writing in NLJ this week, Joshua Purser of No5 Barristers’ Chambers and Govindi Deerasinghe of Global 50/50 warn that leadership remains dominated by a narrow elite, with men holding 71% of top court roles
The report exposes a ‘reality gap’ between polished diversity statements and entrenched practices, where ‘the same people continue to rise’. Key failings include unequal access, informal promotion systems, and poor data transparency.
The authors argue equity must become a ‘professional standard’, not branding, urging reforms such as transparent criteria and fair work allocation. Without change, they caution, public confidence will erode: justice risks appearing ‘something done to people, not with them’.
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