Innovation in Law report paints pessimistic picture

Senior lawyers are pessimistic about the future, and would not recommend a legal career.

Almost half are planning to leave the profession in the next few years, while more than half said they were not hopeful for the future of the profession, according to Ipsos MORI interviews with more than 500 senior legal professionals. Law firm Hodge Jones & Allen, which commissioned the Innovation in Law report, wanted to ask lawyers about the impact of major changes such as the legal aid cuts and the Jackson reforms. Women, those who are state educated, are from ethnic minorities or have disabilities are widely considered to be under-represented in the legal profession with nearly three-quarters agreeing that white, public school educated men dominate senior positions. Just 12% of those interviewed felt it was easy to combine being a mother with developing a career in the legal profession. Nearly half agreed that recent reforms are likely to lead to a substantial increase in the use of private arbitrators instead of the courts.