Social Mobility Awareness Day at BPP

Written by Emma Blackstone, Joint Head of Pro Bono at BPP

Social Mobility Awareness Day has been established to raise awareness of social mobility and the organisations that are committed to bringing about impactful change.

What is social mobility?

Social mobility is a cause that is widely misunderstood. Defined through the lens of government bodies – social mobility is often measured by a person’s income, status, or occupation.  In fact, how socially mobile a society is will depend upon the level of access to opportunities given to individuals from less-advantaged backgrounds.  In terms of education and career outcomes, social mobility is about achieving equity, rather than equality.  Differences in outcomes may remain, but these should be unrelated to an individual’s background or to economic social circumstances.

Sadly, statistics show that the UK still has a mountain to climb to create equity in social mobility.  In 2021, the Social Mobility Commission’s State of the Nation report confirmed that “…today, you are still 60% more likely to be in a professional job if you were from a privileged background rather than a working class background.”

However, socio-economic diversity, equity, and inclusion is now a major focus for many organisations, including BPP.  Social Mobility Awareness Day encourages everyone to share their story and experiences with social mobility, to create momentum for the movement and to inspire and encourage others to consider how they are going to put social mobility on their agenda.

So, what is BPP’s story?

Social mobility has been on BPP’s agenda for some time.  In 2017, the BPP Pro Bono team launched a project which would tackle some of the most woeful statistics emanating from the legal field in relation to social mobility – both with respect to entry to and progression within the profession. The 2017 Chambers Student Guide’s School Survey revealed that 55% of trainees joining leading law firms were privately educated (despite only 7% of the population attending private schools). In August 2017, the Solicitors Regulation Authority reported a similar lack of diversity in the profession, with 36% of partners in the largest firms surveyed (those with 50 plus partners) having attended fee paying schools. This was particularly frustrating, given findings in the Bridge Group’s 2018 report on Socio-economic Background and Early Progression in the Law, which highlighted that those from lower socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to be the highest performers in their firm and yet, on average, appear less likely to progress to senior positions.

BPP’s response was to launch the Law Ambassador Programme (‘LAP’); a project specifically targeted at increasing diversity in the law. BPP recognised that, to change perceptions and raise aspirations in a meaningful way, there needed to be an enduring partnership between young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds and those working in the legal profession.   The LAP offers a free, tailor-made, two-year programme of legal workshops, experiences and challenges for sixth form students attending state schools, facilitated by BPP with the support of legal professional and law student volunteers.

The LAP has gone from strength to strength in the last five years and is currently supporting 145 Law Ambassadors in partnership with law firms such as Squire Patton Boggs, Gateley, Irwin Mitchell, Gordons and Weightmans.  In 2018 the LAP won the Yorkshire Legal Award for its work in support of social mobility.  The Programme was also shortlisted in the 2019 UK Social Mobility Awards.

The conversation around social mobility does not stand still and, at BPP, established social mobility projects like the Law Ambassador Programme are complemented by the regular addition of new initiatives.

The Bridge Programme is one example. Developed in 2021, the Programme partners BPP with universities to provide access to free professional development programmes for final year undergraduates.    Students access modules including a Virtual Vacation Scheme or Virtual Mini pupillage, an Advocacy Masterclass or Legal Technology module, advice from BPP’s special law careers advisors about how to ace legal recruitment processes, plus a host of other employability modules.  As its name suggests, the Programme aims to bridge the gap in skills, knowledge and experience that some students may feel make a career in law unreachable.  At the heart of the Bridge Programme is BPP’s commitment to widening participation into the legal profession.  The Programme is available without charge to final year students studying at one of BPP’s nine (and growing) partner universities.  This ensures that the essential knowledge, experience and the skills needed for a professional career are accessible for many students from a range of backgrounds, not just the few who are fortunate enough to secure a vacation scheme or mini pupillage. Every year, each of BPP’s Bridge partner universities can award to a participant one £5,000 scholarship based on social mobility criteria, with additional £2,000 scholarships also available.  BPP believes these scholarships will help talented students from underrepresented backgrounds with their journey into the legal profession.

BPP offers an example of how to design and deliver innovative initiatives that champion social mobility.  But this is not the only way to support the cause.  Developing external partnerships where there is an existing infrastructure focused around supporting social mobility provides an opportunity to make an immediate impact.  BPP has done that too.  BPP is a founder member and gold supporter of the Aspiring Solicitors Foundation, which seeks to remove the restrictive financial barriers that smart, ambitious, and positive aspiring solicitors can face to a career in the legal profession.  BPP is a partner with the new RISE initiative, which has been driven by the accountancy profession to improve social mobility and support skills development for young people.  BPP also supports the work of the social mobility charity, Leadership Through Sport and Business, and has just completed the delivery of their first para-legal apprentice bootcamp.

So, that’s BPP’s story…so far.   Social mobility is firmly on BPP’s agenda and the above are just some examples of how BPP is seeking to drive change.  But there is always more to be done.  Across the business, our people will continue to develop initiatives and partnerships that support social mobility, not only in law but across a range of professional careers.

Spread the word and tell your story this Social Mobility Awareness Day. #SocialMobilityDay