Effective practices in socio-economic inclusion within the legal sector
Law firms commission the Bridge Group to conduct collaborative research on socio-economic inclusion
The research identifies effective practices in socio-economic inclusion within the legal sector.
This new research builds on the Bridge Group’s previous research with law firms in 2018 and 2020 to inform their work from the early career stage through to progression to partner. Since then, the sector has made substantial progress, with the law firms involved in this research having evolved well-developed inclusion strategies and initiatives. This commitment to promoting socio-economic inclusion within the legal sector is exemplified by 30 law firms’ recently being ranked within the top 75 in the Social Mobility Foundation’s annual Employer Index.
Examples of firms’ effective practices in improving socio-economic inclusion:
High SEB data completion rates are supported by senior leaders actively endorsing data collection efforts.
Investment in early outreach with primary and secondary schools and engagement with a wider range of universities broadens the early talent pipeline.
Contextual recruitment, and other tools, are routinely used to assess candidates’ achievements and to enable firms to identify outperformers.
Supporting well-resourced and active social mobility networks helps integrate practice and policy.
Formal responsibility and accountability for implementing inclusion measures is devolved across the firm and embedded in leadership responsibilities.
The next challenge is to ensure that inclusion is embedded throughout the career lifecycle, rather than more concentrated at the point of entry.