What comes to mind when you think of “a legal professional”? Last year, when researchers at The University of Law (ULaw) asked this question, the most common perception – perhaps unsurprisingly – was still a white man. So just how diverse is the legal profession in 2022?
The last three decades have seen the profession acknowledge how important it is to improve diversity, promote inclusion and tackle discrimination. And change is happening (pdf) – if rather slowly. In 1970, fewer than 10% of new solicitors were female. By the late 1990s, women accounted for more than half of all new entrants. In 2016, they accounted for just over 60%.
