Latest social mobility initiative quizzes lawyers on backgrounds

According to reports in The Lawyer, a new Legal Services Board (LSB) proposal to monitor social mobility in the legal profession will see lawyers asked a range of questions about their socio-economic background, religion, disability and caring responsibilities. The LSB consultation document - called 'Increasing Diversity and Social Mobility in the Legal Workforce: Transparency and Evidence' - forms the basis of the survey, which is the largest to investigate the profession's diversity credentials.

The move has been welcomed by lawyers. Baker & McKenzie partner Tom Cassels told The Lawyer: "It's absolutely necessary. The first stage of dealing with these issues is to understand the current position. It’s not about social engineering. You need to ask the questions to make sure you don't inadvertently block access to the profession."

Weightmans partner Elaine Chapman commented: "It can only help what we’ve been doing as a profession. We've moved on so much in the past five years. It's a really good thing and can only help enhance the skill sets of legal organisations."

For more on social mobility, see "Magic circle firms back social mobility initiative".