Social mobility hit by legal aid cuts

Recent attacks on publicly funded law are not only a disaster for clients and lawyers but also for the hope of a more inclusive profession, according to the author of a recent report into social mobility and diversity in the legal profession,

The report, Opening up or shutting out? Social mobility in the legal profession, written by NLJ columnist and editor of The Justice Gap, Jon Robins, was compiled by Byfield Consultancy and Funke Abimbola, managing counsel at Roche UK. It reveals that, while 58% of trainees at the top 50 firms surveyed are female, the figure drops to 24% at partner level. Ten per cent of trainees are black and minority ethnic (BME) but that figure reduces to just four per cent among law firm partners.

“It is easy to see why aspiring lawyers from ordinary backgrounds are deterred from pursuing careers in the law”, writes Robins, in an article for NLJ. “The debate around social mobility in the law almost exclusively focuses on City firms. Yet it has been legal aid where many lawyers without family wealth typically begin their careers.

“There are fewer opportunities than ever because there is less work and that is largely, but not exclusively, the result of the crisis in legal aid.

“Increasingly young lawyers without family wealth are finding their entrance into the profession blocked.”

The report’s recommendations for the profession include: maintaining a set of key diversity data; committing to being transparent about the data; adopt social mobility targets rather than quotas; promote recruitment practices to broaden intake; adopt mentoring, sponsoring and early outreach programmes; and implement retention strategies such as support networks.

Funke Abimbola says: “Social mobility and diversity are some of the biggest issues facing the legal sector. From the most senior judiciary—there are no black, Asian or minority ethnic judges in the Court of Appeal or Supreme Court—to high street firms and universities, more needs to be done to push for access to this profession for all who are able.”