Chris White, Founder of Aspiring Solicitors reflects on diversity in the legal profession.

November 17, 2022

When I reflect on how much Aspiring Solicitors (AS) has grown, I’m extremely proud of everything we’ve achieved to date. I founded AS in March 2014, after I gave up a career as a solicitor at Norton Rose Fulbright. Over the years, I had witnessed how elitist the profession was, and how rampant discrimination was within it – and this was my main motivation for leaving my career. I’m passionate about tackling discrimination and creating equal opportunities for people, which ultimately meant sacrificing my legal career and committing my future to help others pursue theirs. It’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Fast forward to the present, it’s incredible to be able to look back and see the impact we’ve made as an organisation, not just towards aspiring legal professionals, but to law firms too.

AS has developed massively over time. We now have over 75,000 members and more than 100,000 social media followers, and we continue to hire lawyers and graduate recruitment managers to support AS members achieve their legal dreams. Since 2014, AS has assisted over 7,500 diverse individuals to secure vacation schemes and training contracts, with a current average of over 400 training contracts awarded to AS members each year. 

Working together with our members and supporting firms, we support aspiring solicitors in achieving their potential, sharing knowledge and networking within the industry, collaborating with universities and professionals to continue to develop a strong and positive reputation in the legal industry.

A shift in the profession towards Diversity.

I see great change within law firms from a diversity perspective. There has been a huge shift in how diversity is embraced. There’s recognition that AS is the market leader in ED&I within the legal profession and we don’t collaborate with a firm that isn’t trying to improve their Diversity strategy. When I started AS it really felt that we were just scratching the surface with firms. I can confidently say that a commitment to ED&I is increasing across firms, and we must continue this momentum. 

When I look at what law firms are doing differently, I recognise they’ve started to think more strategically, relying on that rich data which allows them to invest significantly more in their ED&I strategy. They acknowledge that there’s huge competition within the profession and they would be left behind if they didn’t have any plan in place. It’s also clear that young professionals are increasingly aware of ED&I and often look at companies/firms based on their commitment, strategy, and passion for their ED&I outputs. 

Impatient for change.

Noticeably, the legal market has become a lot more competitive, firms are being questioned on what their strategy looks like, as well as their diversity statistics, which has led to firms becoming impatient for change. All of which falls into our values and objectives which is a positive sign as it indicates that firms are listening to us. 

With the introduction of the SQE, firms can’t ignore their ED&I approach. The flexibility in training that the SQE provides now presents opportunities to a more diverse pool of candidates. It gives the best candidates from all backgrounds a fair opportunity to succeed in the law profession.

Although there’s a great deal of positive change, there are still areas that require work. We’re aware that social mobility and disability in some firms suffer, for example there is still a lack of accommodation for vacation schemes, there’s significant delays in travel reimbursements, and a lack in support for professional clothing funds to name a few. This is where the AS Foundation comes into fruition. The Foundation helps individuals fulfil their ambition of a career in the legal profession, by providing vital financial assistance to support their commitment and dedication. 

The power of AS and law firms working together. 

I often get asked the question about how AS specifically works with law firms, and it really does differ on a case-by-case basis, our main goal is to help firms hire diverse aspiring solicitors in the UK. But to look at it simply, it’s a combination of three areas: Talent and Development, Brand and Marketing, and Data. 

AS works with firms to develop excellent potential in candidates to secure training contracts, and to help retain candidates within a law firm. We work with firms to promote their commitment to diversity via specific marketing campaigns, social media, and website messaging. 

We also rely heavily on rich data and are delighted that in 2021, across 28 partner AS law firms an average of 52% of their trainees were AS members.  Consequently, it is no surprise that our Talent and Development accounts for around 70% of the work we do to support law firms to recruit the best trainees.  

AS in five years’ time. 

My future vision is for diversity and inclusion in the legal profession to have progressed to a genuine meritocracy across all underrepresented groups throughout the UK and Ireland so that Aspiring Solicitors no longer needs to exist.

I hope the legal profession across the board embraces diversity in every approach, that candidates are given a chance to succeed because of their skill set, ability, and determination, and not because of where they’ve been educated. I hope we get to a point where law firms don’t need the support, we provide to them now because it’s in their DNA and business strategy.  

Hear from Jo-Anne Pugh, Dean at BPP University Law School, who have a long-standing partnership with Aspiring Solicitors.

Traditionally the legal industry has been elitist, meaning that only those who are the most advantaged have been more likely to advance towards being a solicitor or barrister, while those in black, ethnic minority groups or non-traditional groups have sometimes not realised the opportunity. 

At BPP University Law School, it is hugely important to us that students from different backgrounds and cultures feel welcomed and offered access to new routes into the profession, including legal apprenticeships and the SQE. This is why our partnerships with the likes of Aspiring Solicitors creates a unique opportunity for us to collectively shine the spotlight on diversity, and put in place schemes, scholarships, and initiatives to break down barriers to the legal profession from a wide range of backgrounds.  

We have a long-term partnership with Aspiring Solicitors, which provides students from non-traditional and low-income backgrounds with support to enter the legal profession, including mentoring, coaching and opportunities at leading organisations and law firms. We look forward to continuing our partnership to make a difference together within the legal profession.

BPP and Aspiring Solicitors together.

BPP is and continues to be a long-term supporter of the mission of Aspiring Solicitors. BPP students have access to a full range of AS mentoring opportunities with FTSE100 companies and leading law firms, coaching programmes, and work experience. In addition, they also fund £25,000 per year in scholarships to students identified by the Foundation. This compelling collaboration brings together a leading legal education provider, a result driven talent development platform of all diverse aspiring solicitors and the first charity dedicated to removing financial barriers to the legal profession, leading to a diverse and inclusive profession. Together, we: 

• Provide funding and scholarships to aspiring solicitors from low-income backgrounds of at least £1m. 

• Provide at least 500 additional grants for materials such as laptops and clothing to aspiring solicitors from low-income backgrounds.

• Increase the number of students from underrepresented groups securing vacation schemes and training contracts with AS Partner Law firms. 

• Continue to deliver a huge range of mentoring, coaching and placement opportunities for students across leading law firms and corporates. 

• Work with law firms and corporates of all sizes to help them maximise their diversity and inclusion programmes. 

Inspirational people.

During my career, I’ve met some incredibly inspirational people. All the individuals I’ve met remind me of the reason why I set up Aspiring Solicitors. One stand-out individual was someone I met at an AS event when we first launched. This person’s accent was slightly different, and they were not wearing a suit as they couldn’t pay for one. Living on a council estate, they were the first generation in the family not to go to prison and were the main bread winner in the family. This person took every opportunity AS provided – their determination, passion, skillset, and commitment for the law profession led them to secure a training contract with a US law firm receiving top grades in the country and is now a leading commercial lawyer. 

Finally, when it comes to diversity and inclusion in law firms, I think it’s fair to say although there have been milestone improvements, there is still some work to do. It’s a missed opportunity for everyone. Diverse lawyers bring diverse opinions, diverse teams make better decisions, and a more diverse equitable legal industry drives more innovative and creative solutions. 

The topic of diversity in law firms has been discussed at some level at firms for many years. But just creating policies and programmes is not enough. The reality is that the composition of the legal industry remains widely populated by a largely homogenous racial and gender group.

Now more than ever, the legal community needs to step up as leaders and continue to help widen access to the profession. 

Chris White, Founder of Aspiring Solicitors

Chris White, Founder of Aspiring Solicitors