The legal sector has come a long way in terms of diversity, with the Solicitors Regulation Authority reporting that there has been a slow but steady increase in all areas, with much bigger advances made in smaller firms. In terms of gender, women now make up over half (52%) of lawyers in law firms and the number of employees declaring a disability is slowly increasing.
In recent years strides have been made to widen access to the sector, and increasing social mobility is often a priority for legal employers, with many setting up social mobility networks and launching recruitment schemes to target young people from more disadvantaged backgrounds. However, the legal sector is still one of the least socioeconomically diverse in the country, with barristers, solicitors and judges disproportionately coming from the same few schools and universities.
