Social mobility: will my socioeconomic background impact my chance of securing a training contract?

Dear Oracle

I didn’t go to a selective school, but have good A-levels and my ambition is to be a City lawyer – what does this mean for my chances? What are law firms doing to improve the representation of people from low socioeconomic backgrounds?

The Oracle replies

Reading time: seven minutes

Your social background should make no difference to your chances of becoming a solicitor and most law firms, including City firms, have revised old recruitment processes to aid equal opportunities and access to the profession.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) latest diversity stats indicate a shift in the socioeconomic makeup of lawyers. In the past, the differences between lawyers' socioeconomic background have been stark. In 2025, the SRA reported that 20% of lawyers working in England and Wales attended an independent/fee-paying school, while 63% of lawyers attended a non-selective state school. In comparison, 23% of lawyers attended an independent/fee-paying school in 2015. While these stats show a slight movement in the right direction, as ever, there remains work to be done. For example, a higher proportion of law firm partners attended an independent/fee-paying school (23%) compared to solicitors (18%).

Former Law Society President Nick Emmerson says: “Talented, intelligent, tenacious solicitors can be found in every corner of England and Wales. We all need to prioritise diversity and inclusion, including social mobility, so our profession accurately reflects the society we serve.” So, what’s the legal profession doing to remove barriers and improve social mobility, and how does that impact you?

Improving social mobility in the profession

An increasing number of law firms commit to social mobility targets every year, with 30 firms securing spots in the top 75 of 2025’s social mobility ranking, including Addleshaw Goddard, Browne Jacobson LLP and Linklaters LLP. There have also been calls in recent years for social background to be added as a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, although developments have been limited. Managing partner of executive search and interim management firm Anderson Quigley, Ed Pritchard, said: “Recognising socio-economic background as a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 would not only promote fairness and meritocracy, but also ensure that leadership in the UK is reflective of the broader society it serves.”

Meanwhile, there are a number of initiatives that have been developed over the past few years that are designed to level the playing field and remove the invisible obstacles that prevent state-educated students and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds from achieving their academic and professional goals.

While it's true that some firms target certain universities for law fairs, presentations and other forms of campus engagement, others have revised their approach to ensure they reach all prospective talent and others continue to meet candidates virtually in an effort to broaden the pool of talent they interact with.

The Oracle answers a similar question here: ‘I didn’t attend a Russell Group university, can I still get a training contract?’.

So, check which firms are attending your university’s law fair as well as other events, including LawCareers.Net annual in-person careers conferences, LawCareersNetLIVE. These offer a fantastic opportunity to network with top law firms and are a great resource to kickstart your legal career.

Social Mobility Pledge

Initially, fifteen City of London Law Society (CLLS) member firms joined forces with Justine Greening’s Social Mobility Pledge, which saw them work closely with universities including Bradford, Staffordshire, Lincoln, York St John and Liverpool John Moores to improve access and equal opportunities into the legal profession. The project focused on schools, access and recruitment. This was the first sector-wide initiative designed to facilitate leading law firms working together to develop solutions to address the lack of social mobility in the legal profession. The Social Mobility Pledge has now transformed into a coalition of more than 800 organisations globally, including more than 60 law firms, and the pledge now covers eight million people.  

The 93% Club

In addition, Sophie Pender founded the 93% Club in 2016 to support those from low socioeconomic backgrounds in making valuable connections and ultimately working towards equal opportunities. Ten years on, and 82% of the organisation’s members have secured job roles in their preferred industry after graduation, with 506 in the legal sector between 2022 and 2025.  

Slaughter and May partnered with the 93% Club (and others) to create 93% Professionals – “the UK’s least exclusive members’ club”. It’s a community designed “to ensure that – once state-educated people get into the workplace – they are empowered to thrive and are set up for sustained success”.

In addition, the 93% Club’s Social Mobility Factory was a huge success in 2025. The Social Mobility Factory reached more than 1,100 people, offering the opportunity for students to practise mock interviews, have their CV and LinkedIn profile reviewed, and a professional headshot taken.

In the 2025 Social Mobility Factory, the club had backing from several law firms, including: 

• DLA Piper (UK) LLP;
• Freshfields;
• Clifford Chance;
• Herbert Smith Freehills LLP;
• Linklaters;
• Macfarlanes LLP;
• Slaughter and May; and
• Taylor Wessing. 

upReach and Slaughter and May – Springboard

Magic circle law firm Slaughter and May is the sponsor of upReach’s two-year Springboard programme of personalised career support. It’s designed to help students explore their career options, increase their employability and widen their professional network.

The Law Society’s social mobility ambassadors

Every two to three years the Law Society selects around 10 solicitor ambassadors who are willing to share their experiences of entering the profession, outlining the challenges they faced and how they overcame them to be where they are today.

The ambassadors will also offer practical advice for aspiring lawyers in similar positions – the scheme aims to “show that, regardless of social background, the profession welcomes talent, tenacity and a strong work ethic”.

Diversity

There are other schemes within the sector that aim to promote and improve social mobility within the profession.

It’s also vital to acknowledge that the work is ongoing and by no means finished. The lack of representation at various levels within the profession is a fundamental issue that weakens the whole sector by limiting the range of perspectives and experience that firms can bring to bear on behalf of their clients.

Find out more about diversity at the senior end of the legal profession.

As you can see from this article, there are initiatives within the profession designed to support your career goals and so many firms have made and are continuing to make commitments to work towards a more diverse and inclusive profession.

Researching a firm is a great way for aspiring lawyers to find out about its culture and identify the initiatives it has in place to create a representative workforce.

Find out more about researching law firms via LawCareers.Net.

It’s also worth noting that there’s increasing (and welcome) adoption of contextual recruitment practices like upReach’s REALrating. This system allows employers to identify hidden talent and monitor socioeconomic data. It’s been designed to contextualise academic performance and highlight candidates’ potential to succeed. By working with the charity, law firms can identify applicants who’ve achieved against the odds.

As such, good A-levels and a similar performance at university should give you the base ingredients you need to compete. From there, it’s all about getting as much work experience as you can and making sure your communication and teamwork skills are honed.

Target your applications carefully. A glance at a firm's roster will tell you a lot about the kind of people it recruits and whether it remains a bit of an old boys' club. Firms with a broader outlook will be better to work for anyway. If you can demonstrate all the qualities and credentials for the job, there’s no way you should feel discouraged from pursuing a career in the legal profession.

For more insight into what the legal profession is doing to promote and develop diversity and inclusion, head to LawCareers.Net’s Diversity in law hub, sponsored by Gowling WLG (UK) LLP.

Dimitar Dimitrov (he/him) is a content and engagement coordinator at LawCareers.Net.