BLP hosts ‘Route to success in law’ event for black students and graduates

On 11 April Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) hosted a “first of its kind” event for African-Caribbean students and graduates, looking to address the issue of underrepresentation of black people in the legal profession.

The event, entitled “Underrepresentation of black people in law: your route to success”, was designed to encourage and celebrate greater diversity across the profession. According to the Diversity League Table Report 2015, the number of black lawyers in the United Kingdom currently stands at just 1.4%.

The day included discussions on the difficulties of entering law as a minority, application advice from BLP’s graduate recruitment team, and a series of talks from leading black legal professionals such as Segun Osuntokun, Tunde Okewale and Natalie Carter.

Claire England, inclusivity manager at BLP, commented: “The proportion of solicitors from minority backgrounds in the industry is not remotely close to where it should be in the United Kingdom and this is something the whole industry must stand up and address. At BLP we truly recognise the importance of diversity and want to take a leading role in championing the changing makeup of the legal profession to better reflect the society we live in. This event is a first from a law firm and we believe it will help to inspire those from African and Caribbean backgrounds to consider a career in the world of law.”