Figures for the 2020 BSB diversity report, published this week, showed encouraging results among the most recent entrants to the Bar―the percentages of male and female pupil barristers in December 2020 were equal. Moreover, the proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds rose 3.7% to 22.9% of the whole, which is the highest number yet and the largest year on year increase in this statistic since records began in 2015.
At the other end of the spectrum, the figures on Queen’s Counsel revealed a 0.7% increase in minority ethnic silks to 8.8% of QCs, and a 0.6% rise in female QCs to 16.8%.
At the practising Bar as a whole, the report found men continue to outnumber women (60.9% compared to 38.2% in December 2020).
The percentage of barristers from minority ethnic groups rose 0.5% to 14.1% (slightly higher than the estimated 13.3% of the working age population who are from ethnic minority groups).
A closer look at this data reveals Asian/ Asian British barristers made up 7.5% of the practising Bar (an increase of 0.3% on the previous year) compared to 5.6% of the working age population.
Black/Black British barristers accounted for 3.2% of the practising Bar (an increase of 0.05%) compared to 3.4% of the working age population.
Barristers from a Mixed/Multiple ethnic background made up 3.3%, compared to 1.5% of the working age population.
On disability status, only 56.9% of respondents provided this information, with 6.3% disclosing a disability. This compares with 11.3% of disabled people in the employed working age UK population as a whole.
BSB head of equality and access to justice, Amit Popat said: ‘While we are pleased to see that the Bar is increasingly diverse, there is still more work to be done to make the profession truly representative of society.
‘We are currently reviewing our Equality Rules, have published an anti-racist statement for barristers and chambers, and recently launched a pilot race equality reverse mentoring scheme to address cultural barriers to equality at the Bar.’
The full Diversity at the Bar report 2020 is available at: bit.ly/3aa4XQW.
