Apprenticeships, Mentoring and Contextualised Recruitment – These Leeds Law Firms are Leading the Way On Social Mobility

The once-elitist law industry is making bold strides when it comes to social mobility, helping to level the playing field.

Getting into law was once incredibly difficult, expensive and heavily reliant on your family background. Luckily, that isn’t the case anymore, with firms across Leeds putting social mobility high on their list of priorities. From working closely with schools in disadvantaged areas to removing the costly barriers to pursuing a legal career, this is how the city’s law firms are prioritising social mobility.

Diversity matters

An individual’s background shouldn’t determine the path they’re able to take in life, but there are still barriers to overcome in the professional sector. Law firms are looking inwards to address the historical prejudices that once restricted people from diverse backgrounds and putting in new practices to create equal opportunities. By focusing on social mobility, firms can widen their talent pool while diversifying their workforce to better serve the clients they work with.

The industry’s commitment to social mobility is clear to see. Law firms dominated the Social Mobility Foundation’s annual Employer Index in 2022, with 38 firms from around the UK making the 75-strong list. In order to make the cut, employers are ranked on eight areas, including inclusivity in the workplace, staff advocacy and engagement and recruitment of graduates from universities outside of the Russell Group, alongside an optional employee survey.

Blacks introduced a trailblazing apprenticeship scheme

Award-winning Leeds-based law firm Blacks were one of the first firms to introduce their solicitor apprenticeship scheme, offering school-leavers a route into the industry without the need for costly university study. By setting the blueprint for firms across the nation to follow suit, they removed the barriers to entry, helping young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds to kickstart their legal careers. Today, law apprenticeships are incredibly popular.

“We’ve run our apprentice solicitor scheme for six years now,” explained Blacks’ Training Partner Tom Moyes. “We were a bit of a trailblazer in doing it – we were one of the very first law firms to start running that scheme. We’ve taken on apprentices pretty much every year, who have since turned into fully-qualified solicitors. We led the way with the scheme and now everyone’s jumping on it, because it’s a great scheme. It’s absolutely fantastic.”

It’s not just Blacks’ apprenticeship scheme that’s breaking down barriers. The firm has an accessible policy when it comes to work experience, too. “There are lots of firms who have a more rigid scheme where you’ve got to get selected to go on a vacation scheme, for example. But we don’t, we endeavour to take people from all backgrounds”, Tom told us. This commitment to social mobility stems from personal experience and frustration at historic prejudices.

“I’m not from a legal background,” Explained Tom. “No one in my family practises law and I found it really difficult to get into. It seemed to me that back then, unless you had connections in the legal industry, you were really up against it and hit barriers. That frustrated me. We try to take on as many work experience people as possible and give them the best experience, because it’s really important to give people that foot in the door. Often that’s all you need to get on the track.”

Inspiring the future generation with Squire Patton Boggs

Full-service global law firm Squire Patton Boggs also offers plenty of opportunities for people looking to kickstart their legal career. They take on 30 graduate solicitors annually as well as recruiting both legal and non-legal apprentices. The firm’s ongoing social mobility drive, alongside a fair and open recruitment policy, saw them rank ninth in 2022’s Social Mobility Employer Index – one of the highest in the region – moving up six places compared to the previous year.

Their apprenticeship scheme continues to be an important pathway into the industry for many people from a lower socio-economic background. “We have developed an extensive apprenticeship programme,” Squire Patton Boggs’ Corporate Partner Mae Salem told us. “We have school leavers that want to get into law, but maybe the university route isn’t an option for them, or there’s some kind of barrier to that, for whatever reason – often social mobility reasons.”

There’s no expectation for applicants to come from a particular background or graduate from a Russell Group university, and Mae herself is a glowing example of this. “I didn’t undertake my degree at a Russell Group university,” Mae told us. “I still got a good degree and became partner at the age of 32 at a global law firm, so the university I attended wasn’t a barrier for me, and certainly wasn’t a barrier for me here at Squires.”

The Squire Patton Boggs team spend a lot of time visiting schools in underprivileged areas, helping inspire students into the industry. This type of work is invaluable to young people from diverse backgrounds, demonstrating how achievable a legal career is while detailing the steps required to get there. The firm also works with all of the universities in Leeds, including BPP and Leeds Beckett, providing mentorship services to help current students further their careers.

Walker Morris are levelling the playing field

Another company working closely with local students is Leeds-based practice Walker Morris, who are committed to demonstrating how accessible a law career can be. They work closely with Bradford University, running mock vacation schemes and mock assessments, while coaching students to help build their confidence. By showcasing what life is like in a busy commercial law firm, they provide valuable insight about what to expect beyond university.

The firm also works with Leeds-based social enterprise Ahead Partnership to inspire the next generation of young people, mentoring students and helping to build their confidence. “I think that it’s really important to get the message out to people that it’s not closed off to you because of a certain background,” explained Walker Morris’ Head of HR, Tracy Foley. All employees are able to get involved with mentorship, giving team members the chance to give back to the community.

Social mobility is something that’s firmly ingrained in the company’s principles. “One of our values is you don’t have to wear a suit to be taken seriously,” Tracy told us. “We’re trying to dispel this myth that a lawyer should be a white person in a suit from a privileged background that’s been to a Russell Group University. We’re trying to show that it can be anybody, that it’s dependent on your talents, not your background, or where you’ve come from.”

One of the key ways the firm is levelling the playing field is through contextualised recruitment – using AI technology to help the hiring team identify potentially exceptional candidates from different backgrounds. “The software looks at people’s grades, backgrounds and circumstances, and evens it up,” explained Tracy. “It’s a good way of getting more people in for interview that you would normally have discounted due to their grades. It’s really interesting.”

There’s still more to be done

Despite the ongoing efforts of law firms across the region and beyond, there’s still room for improvement. 2022 data from the Solicitors Regulation Authority showed that 23% of UK solicitors attended a fee-paying school, compared to the national average of 7.5%. What’s more, 58% came from a professional background, compared to 37% nationally. If the industry wishes to truly reflect the values of a diverse nation, it must find a way to further level the playing field.

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