SRA data shows “slow” improvements to diversity at law firms
updated on 19 December 2023
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New Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) data has found that 53% of the solicitor’s profession are women and 19% of lawyers are from an ethnic minority background, both small increases on previous years. SRA Chief Executive Paul Philip explains that “things are slowly improving, but there is still more to do”.
The report, which used data collected in summer 2023, shows a steady increase in diversity in various areas. As of December 2023:
- 19% of lawyers are from an ethnic minority background, an increase from 18% in 2021 and 14% in 2015;
- 53% of the solicitor’s profession are women, an increase from 52% in 2021 and 48% in 2015;
- 47% of women in the legal profession are salaried partners;
- 57% of lawyers have parents from a ‘professional’ background, which has fallen from 60% in 2019; and
- 21% of lawyers attended an independent/fee paying school, down from 23% in 2015.
However, the report also highlighted areas where improvement is needed. Data showed that:
- 18% of lawyers are from lower socio-economic backgrounds, a decrease from 21% in 2015;
- 4.4% of lawyers are part of the LGBTQ+ community, only a slight growth from 3% in 2015; and
- there’s an increased proportion of disabled lawyers – from 3% in 2015 to 6%, which is still a considerable difference when compared to the wider population; 16% of the UK workforce said they had a disability; and
- 0.5% of lawyers have a gender identity different to the one they were assigned at birth – a decrease from 0.9% in 2021 and 2.4% in 2017.
The report also indicated that the largest firms were the least diverse. For example, the data showed that lawyers from an ethnic minority background were more likely to work at smaller firms; while at firms with more than 50 partners, only 15% of lawyers are from an ethnic minority background, compared to 23% at firms with two to five partners. Similarly, larger law firms had fewer female partners, disabled lawyers and more lawyers who went to independent/fee paying schools.
Philip commented that: “A diverse and inclusive legal profession which reflects the wider community is not only good for the public, but good for legal businesses themselves. It benefits everyone to have the most talented people from all backgrounds able to work and progress in the legal sector.”
To find out more about the latest data, visit the SRA’s website.
