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07 July 2023 / Susanna McGibbon
Issue: 8032 / Categories: Opinion , Career focus , Profession , Diversity
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Social mobility in the legal profession

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Government lawyers must reflect the society they serve: Susanna McGibbon explains how this can be achieved by integrating principles of fairness & inclusion at every stage

I firmly believe that anyone, regardless of socio-economic background, should be able to forge a rewarding career in the legal profession.

Overcoming hurdles

As the second female Treasury Solicitor and Permanent Secretary to the Government Legal Department (GLD), one of my key aims is that we create an environment where everyone feels able to be themselves, uninhibited by their background. It is particularly crucial that as civil servants, government lawyers are representative of the society we serve. I believe we achieve this by integrating principles of fairness and inclusion into everything we do—from recruitment to training and career development.

I hope that our ambition to become a truly national organisation will also play an important role in this agenda. I want those joining GLD to have access to all the career opportunities available from whichever location they are based. No longer will

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

mfg Solicitors—Hayley Pearce & Lauren Williams

mfg Solicitors—Hayley Pearce & Lauren Williams

Law firm mfg Solicitors announces promotions at Ludlow office

Womble Bond Dickinson—Richard Sharpe

Womble Bond Dickinson—Richard Sharpe

Womble Bond Dickinson appoints partner in Leeds residential team

Brabners—six promotions

Brabners—six promotions

Brabners adds six to partnership in record year for partner promotions

NEWS
Calls to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 have been renewed, with the Bar Council arguing the current threshold criminalises children too early and risks pushing them towards lifelong offending
The legal profession's AI challenge extends far beyond fabricated case citations, according to a warning about the next phase of technological risk
Law firms should use the transition period before the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) assumes anti-money laundering (AML) supervision to strengthen governance and compliance, experts have warned
Cross-border disputes increasingly demand creative approaches to gathering evidence, with litigators needing to look beyond traditional letters of request
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified the distinction between contracts of 'indefinite' and 'perpetual' duration, with potentially significant implications for commercial drafting
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