By Milton Tella – The research published by the Legal Services Board has revealed diversity of the profession, this has continued to be dominated by white men who are barristers and very few senior solicitors.
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has published research on the systemic barriers to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the legal profession, alongside a report exploring the judicial diversity pipeline.
Law Society of England and Wales president Nick Emmerson said: “We welcome the LSB’s research and its visualisation of what is known about EDI in the legal profession.
“The systems map visualises the structural, cultural and personal factors which create barriers to inclusion and how these interact with each other.
“We hope it is a useful addition to the evidence base to help regulators and others understand where to target interventions to have the greatest impact.
“The Law Society’s Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Framework is a useful resource the profession can use for firms and organisations looking to take a strategic approach to D&I and embed it in a way that has lasting impact.”
On the judicial diversity pipeline, Nick Emmerson concluded: “The research presents the systemic barriers which currently prevent the judicial system from reflecting a diverse and inclusive profession. We are disappointed to see that progress remains exceptionally slow.
“Despite solicitors making up half of judicial applications last year, barristers are still more likely to be recommended for judicial posts and the majority of senior barrister and solicitor appointments continue to be men from non-state school backgrounds, a similar position to that cited in the report published in 2014.
“King’s Counsel appointments also continue to be dominated by white men who are barristers and very few senior solicitors.
“We support further evaluation of the work that has been done in recent years to improve the pipeline and help applicants to better understand why improvements in recommendations for appointment are not yet being seen.
“It is imperative that action is now taken to address the identified barriers and our continued concerns. We will continue to work closely alongside the Judicial Diversity Forum on the implementation of an action plan.”
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