Linklaters and Norton Rose Fulbright have joined Slaughter and May as corporate members of 93% Professionals – a social mobility network aimed at boosting the careers of state school educated professionals.
The pair will follow Slaughters’ lead in offering all state-educated staff membership of the network, which looks to offer support and networking opportunities in order to improve soft skills and boost career development.
Slaughters became one of the network’s founding corporate members when it launched in 2023, as the professional arm of former Herbert Smith Freehills associate Sophie Pender’s social impact not-for-profit the 93% Club.
The news is the latest example of the legal sector’s social mobility ambitions.
Twenty five law firms placed in the top 75 of the 2024 Social Mobility Employer Index, a benchmarking tool that recognises organisations for their work improving access for those from less advantaged backgrounds. Slaughters, Linklaters and Norton Rose Fulbright all sit within the top 10.
Commenting on the firm’s decision to commit to 93% Professionals, Paul Lewis – the state-educated managing partner of Linklaters – said. ‘The importance of getting out there, networking and making connections in business cannot be understated. It can open doors and lead to opportunities you might not otherwise have had access to. Having had no exposure to the corporate world when I was starting out, I know just how difficult it can be. I wish [93% Professionals] had been around when I was in the early stages of my career.’
Peter Scott, managing partner at Norton Rose Fulbright, echoed this sentiment, saying: ‘We‘re excited to build on our existing social mobility programme by joining the 93% Club. This will provide another avenue for our colleagues to connect further with both professionals and students from state-educated backgrounds.’
Both Linklaters and Norton Rose Fulbright already have a number of existing strategies in place to improve social mobility. Linklaters is involved in a number of outreach and mentoring programmes aimed at widening access to the legal profession, including the Get Ahead development programme and the Making Links Scholarship. Norton Rose Fulbright meanwhile has partnered with schools and charities to help improve the representation of underrepresented groups in law, alongside its development of pre-recruitment initiatives including Scholars, the firm’s university bursary programme, and the RISE programme aimed at year 12 students with an interest in commercial law.
Andrew Jolly, head of corporate at Slaughter and May, said: ‘We are delighted that Linklaters and Norton Rose Fulbright have also now joined. We aim to ensure that everyone, no matter their background, can access opportunities to enter the profession and thrive throughout their careers.’
Sophie Pender, founder of The 93% Club, said the addition of the two firms adds momentum to the movement.
‘We’re excited to welcome two of the City’s biggest firms to 93% Professionals. It means even more knowing they’re offering access to the kind of network I really needed when I was starting out in law. I realised how much difference it makes to have solid advice, real connections and senior people backing your growth. That kind of support matters.’
The Bar is often harshly viewed as an elitist and enigmatic profession. Entrenched in steeped tradition and accessible only to those with a particular background or connections. While the journey to becoming a barrister is undeniably demanding, it is by no means im(possible). With academic excellence, focused preparation and genuine determination, the path is open to anyone who possesses the drive to advocate, handle heavily intellectual workloads and make a meaningful contribution to the Bar.
This guide sets out the route to the Bar in a clear and structured way. Whether you are in sixth form, completing a university degree or considering a change of career, this is your roadmap.
Understand the Role
Before embarking on the journey, it is essential to appreciate what the role of a barrister truly involves. You must know before you be. Barristers are incredibly skilled and specialist legal advocates. They appear in the courts, regularly drafting legal opinion and provide bespoke precise and informed advice on complex legal issues for their clients. The work can be intellectually rigorous, demanding independence, collaboration, attention to detail and a resilient nature. I will go as far to say depending on the area you choose to practice in it is not a role well suited to those seeking rigid routine. However, for individuals who thrive on intellectual challenge, variety and public service, the role can offer a uniquely rewarding career.
Academic Qualifications
The first formal step towards the Bar is academic.
Law Degree
If you read law at undergraduate level, you will cover the seven foundations of legal knowledge required by the Bar Standards Board. These are: 1. Criminal Law, 2. Contract Law, 3. Tort Law, 4. Public Law, 5. Land Law, 6. Equity and 7. Trusts and European Union Law.
Non-Law Degree
If your degree is in another subject, you will need to undertake a law conversion course known as the Graduate Diploma in Law. The course typically takes one year on a full-time basis or two years part time. It is crucial at this stage to secure strong academic results. A 2:1 degree is the standard minimum requirement, though some chambers may expect a First-class degree minimum. “Per aspera ad astra” translates to “Through hardships, to the stars”.
Joining an Inn of Court
There are four Inns of Court: Gray’s Inn, Lincoln’s Inn (the best, although I might be slightly bias), Inner Temple and Middle Temple. Every barrister must be a member of one of the Inns before commencing to the vocational stage of training. The Inns provide valuable support in the form of scholarships, mentoring, mooting and networking opportunities with practicing barristers and other legal professionals. Scholarships can make a significant difference on your CV and are highly competitive. It is important to research them carefully, apply early and prepare extensively.
You may join an Inn while studying at university or during your conversion course. I take the view on the earlier the better to fully immerse yourself with what the Bar is all about.
The Bar Course
Previously known as the Bar Professional Training Course, the Bar Course is now delivered under various titles depending on the provider. This is the vocational training stage, covering the core professional skills of advocacy, legal research and drafting, including professional ethics and litigation procedure.
During this stage you must complete the 10 qualifying sessions required by your Inn of Court. These sessions include educational events, professional development and opportunities to engage with experienced practitioners in both formal and informal settings. Yes, lots of dinners.
The course takes 9 months to a year if studied full time, or two years part time. Fees can be quite steep depending on the provider and location. Some institutions offer integrated master’s programmes which may be eligible for student finance. Do the research.
Pupillage
This is the final and most competitive stage of training.
Pupillage is a year of practical training undertaken in a set of chambers or another approved organisation such as the Government Legal Department. It is divided into two six-month periods. The first is non-practising involving close observation and supervised work. The second is practising, during which you accept instructions and appear in court fair frequently dependant of the areas of focus of the chambers you are with.
You will need a strong academic record, experience in advocacy, mooting or debating, and ideally a number of mini-pupillages to demonstrate your commitment and insight.
In truth, there is no definitive number of mini-pupillages one must complete. In my view, strategy is paramount. It is far more valuable to research the areas of law that genuinely interests you and then undertake around three to five mini-pupillages in those fields. The aim should not be to complete as many as possible, but rather to take a considered and strategic approach. A well-chosen range will provide meaningful insight into how practice varies across different areas of law, helping you to make informed decisions about your future at the Bar. Most applications are made through the Pupillage Gateway, although there are several chambers who recruit independently. The selection process usually includes a round of written applications, an interview or two and practical exercises in advocacy and legal analysis.
Tenancy
Following successful completion of pupillage, you may be offered tenancy. This is a permanent position in chambers. This a big checkpoint moment in your long career at the Bar as this marks your transition to full self-employment at the Bar. If you are not offered tenancy at the end of pupillage, it is still possible to apply to another chambers, return to the Gateway in the next round, or pursue legal work elsewhere in the meantime.
Final Thoughts
The road to the Bar is more than intellectual ability. Perhaps more importantly, it requires clarity and access to reliable information. Outdated assumptions, misinformation and a lingering sense of exclusivity deter many who would excel in this profession.
If you are serious about becoming a barrister, begin as early as you can. Seek mentors, take full advantage of what the Inns offer, and stay the course.
The Bar needs individuals of all backgrounds who bring sharp minds and fresh perspectives. The Bar needs you.
US leader Milbank has launched a new London training contract dedicated to leveraged finance, offering an alternative route into one of the firm’s most high-profile practice areas.
The first full intake of the new training contract will commence in September 2025, in line with Milbank’s general training programme.
All candidates must have already completed a vacation scheme with the firm before applying, with applications initially opened to spring and summer 2024 vac scheme attendees.
The dedicated scheme will see trainees spending at least 12 months of their training contract within the firm’s 60+ London lev fin and capital markets team before moving on to other practices.
‘Trainees will spend 12–18 months sitting in our LevFin team in London, followed by at least one six-to-twelve-month seat in another adjacent practice area,’ explains Sarbajeet Nag, a leveraged finance partner at Milbank. ‘This provides more in-depth finance-focused legal, technical, and commercial training while ensuring exposure to other areas of practice.’
Milbank confirmed that its future LevFin trainees will receive the same salary as those on the standard training contract, earning £65,000 in year one and £70,000 in year two. The application process will also follow the same structure as the firm’s traditional route.
‘Trainees will benefit from all the training and development opportunities offered to trainees on the regular trainee programme,’ said Nag. ‘The application process will also be the same, with a common vacation scheme run twice a year (in spring and in the summer) with vacation scheme candidates given the option of applying to either: the “traditional” training contract only; or the leveraged finance training contract only; or both training contracts.”
The firm intends to recruit between four and five LevFin trainees per intake, meaning there will be between eight and 10 dedicated leveraged finance trainees at the firm at any time, as well as trainees on the main scheme. The firm’s core training scheme is set to include around 17 trainees in 2025 across both years.
Leveraged finance will still be a seat option for those on the general training scheme according to Nag.
‘Trainees undertaking the traditional training contract will still, subject to business needs, have an opportunity to sit in leveraged finance,’ he confirmed, adding that ‘the LevFin track will not be replacing the traditional training scheme.’
While Milbank stressed that there is no set background required for applicants to its new scheme, those hoping to take part must have an interest in finance in addition to a desire to practise commercial law.
Milbank’s move means it joins a small group of firms introducing specialist training contracts to help trainees develop expertise in key sectors at an earlier stage.
In 2021, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) launched sector-focused training contracts in real estate and financial services, designed to give trainees more in-depth exposure to those industries. Norton Rose Fulbright meanwhile introduced a technology-focused route, incorporating an innovation seat into its training contract, while Clifford Chance introduced IGNITE, a specialised programme designed to equip trainees with essential tech and legal skills.
Success as a student demands not only strong academic skills, but also effective study habits, disciplined time management, and genuine engagement with your chosen field of study.
In the latest instalment of the Legal 500 Future Lawyers blog, law student and aspiring barrister Malcolm Glover sets out his tips designed to help you excel in your law – or any other degree programme.
Master the Basics
Understand the core concepts: law is built on foundational subjects such as contract law, torts, public law and criminal law. It is of paramountcy to grasp these topics before delving into more intricate topics.
Study statutes and case law: the law is firmly grounded in case law and statutes. It is essential to read and analyse landmark cases alongside the relevant statutes to understand how legal principles have evolved over time.
Effective Time Management
Prepare in advance: Create a detailed study schedule, breaking down your reading and assignments week by week, then day by day. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so prioritise your tasks according to deadlines.
Don’t be a crammer: Exams often require deep analysis and application of knowledge. Consistently improving by just 1% each day is more effective than pushing yourself with intense bursts of effort, which can lead to exhaustion and burnout for days or even weeks.” Regular study will ensure retention of information.
Consistent study: Set aside a couple of hours each day for study and stick to a rigid routine.
Learning Techniques
Summarise your notes: After each lecture or seminar, take time to review your notes and create concise summaries which reinforce your learning.
Discuss with your peers: Form study groups or discussion circles. Explaining concepts to others helps to deepen your own understanding.
Develop your Writing Skills (NOW!)
Practise essay writing: Most exams and assignments are essay-based.
Practise structuring your essays in a clear, logical and concise manner. Refine your writing by engaging in regular practice—write for the sheer enjoyment of it. Express your opinions on topics that captivate you and then share your work with a friend or family member to find out whether your ideas are conveyed clearly. One of the most effective ways to improve your writing is to immerse yourself in examples by fine writers such as some of my personal favourites Lord Denning, George Orwell and Mark Twain. Cultivate a habit of reading extensively. Read, read, and read some more.
Stay precise and concise: Law is about precision. Avoid excessive jargon. Focus your efforts on clarity in expressing your legal points.
Stay Up to Date with Legal Developments
Follow current events: Stay up to date with the news and ongoing cases to broaden your understanding of ongoing debates and emerging trends in the law.
ALWAYS Seek Feedback
Get feedback on your work: Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback on assignments, essays, and exam practice from your lecturer. Use this constructive feedback to improve your approach. Apply the feedback from professors or tutors to your next pieces of work.
Look After Your Well-Being
Rest: It’s not all work and no play. Take regular breaks; you’re allowed to rest. A rested mind is more efficient.
Networking and Extra-Curricular Activities
Moot court or debates: Participation in moots court, debates, mini pupillages and vacation schemes provide you with valuable practical exposure to the legal profession.
Discipline rewards diligence, consistency, and remember “Ad astra per aspera” …through hardships to the stars”.
If you do anything this month, make it vacation scheme applications. Most law firms set their spring and summer vacation scheme deadlines for the end of December or end of January, so now’s the time to get your applications in.
With so many firms now recruiting solely through their vacation schemes, taking part in one really is the best route to getting a training contract.
What is a vacation scheme?
A vacation scheme is a one or two-week-long work placement at a law firm. During this time, you’ll usually sit in one or two departments and do trainee tasks, some of which might be assessed.
You might also attend firm presentations, lunches with other vacation schemers and trainees, as well as social events.
You’ll be assessed throughout, so be sure to be on your best behaviour, even at evening drinks.
But you should also let your personality shine through. Ultimately, people want to know if they could share an office with you!
Vacation schemes are usually paid, with some law firms also offering to cover some expenses for the duration of the scheme,
Why should you do a vacation scheme?
A vacation scheme is a brilliant way for you to find out if the law firm in question is somewhere you’d like to work.
There aren’t many other opportunities where you can ‘road test’ the work and office environment before committing to a new job.
Vacation schemes are also a great way for the firm to see how you work, and whether they think you’d be a good fit.
Different firms suit different people, and vacation schemes are the best way to find the best law firm for you.
Head to our Winners Table to see which firms have the best vacation schemes.
Trainee feedback on vacation schemes
Here’s what this year’s survey respondents had to say about their firms’ vacation schemes.
At Cooley, trainees love the ‘hands-on work from the very start, including on the vacation scheme’, which was dubbed an ‘authentic experience’.
Trainees chose Marriott Harrison because of ‘the friendliness of the people and how much time they took to get to know me on the vacation scheme’. What’s more, ‘from the vacation scheme itself, I could tell that MH peers push you out of your comfort zone and train you to become an associate and not just a good trainee’
Several Sullivan & Cromwell trainees had ‘excellent experience on the vacation scheme’
For one Farrer & Co trainee, their decision to join the firm was ‘solidified by the enjoyable culture I experienced during the vacation scheme’
The White & Case vacation scheme was also applauded, and participants ‘liked the people [we] met at the firm’ so much that their decision was made early on
‘After attending a vacation scheme in 2021, I was struck by the warmth and friendliness of everyone I met, and I was certain Forsters was the place I wanted to be’, said one respondent of the boutique London firm.
At Vinson & Elkins ‘my vacation scheme made me want to work with the people here, and I haven’t been disappointed with the results so far. The combination of this culture and the strengths in the industries I was interested in working in solidified V&E as my first choice’
Junior solicitor salaries have been making headlines recently. But how much do law firms really pay?
In this blog we take a closer look at the factors affecting how much you can expect to paid at different firms. Or if you’d rather go straight to the numbers, head to our salary comparison table.
The salary for newly-qualified (NQ) solicitors can vary significantly, but the two main things which will affect the amount you get paid are:
The size and type of firm
Location
Size and type of law firm
The highest NQ salaries can usually be found at US firms. These are firms which are headquartered in the USA but have an office in London. US firms typically match their UK NQ salaries with what they pay solicitors of the equivalent level over the pond.
(Please note that the figures below relate to Legal 500 Future Lawyers profiling firms only.)
Currently, the firm that pays the highest NQ salary in London is White & Case at £175,000.
Just behind are Latham & Watkins, Morrison Foerster, Kirkland & Ellis, Akin and Milbank. These firms pay their NQs the equivalent of $225,000, which works out as £174,000 at the time of conversion (1 November 2024).
Next up are the Magic Circle firms. These are the largest and highest-grossing firms in the UK. Magic Circle firm Clifford Chance pays its NQ solicitors £150,000 a year.
‘Silver Circle’ and other (often international) City firms are hot on the heels of the Magic Circle when it comes to NQ salaries. Macfarlanes pays £140,000 a year.
At a national firm or a boutique London firm you can expect to earn around £70,000 – £90,000 a year as a NQ solicitor.
Location
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the highest salaries are found in London. This is because many of the biggest firms have their main UK office in London, but is also because of London weighting. Higher rent, mortgage and living costs mean that salaries in London are slightly higher than in other parts of the UK.
That’s not to say that you can’t earn a high salary elsewhere, though. In Bristol a NQ will earn £82,000 at TLT or £72,000 a year at Osborne Clarke.
Elsewhere in the UK you can expect to earn £58,000 in Manchester and £50,000 in Glasgow at TLT. At the regional offices of Irwin Mitchell, NQs earn between £44,000 – £55,000 a year.
This is only a selection of NQ salaries. Consult our Compare Law Firm Salaries table to see details of salaries at all Legal 500 Future Lawyers firms.
Following this May’s A&O Shearman merger, there had been no shortage of market speculation about which transatlantic duo would be next to tie the knot.
However, few would have predicted today’s news that Herbert Smith Freehills is set to combine with New York’s Kramer Levin, a deal which will create a new $2bn, 2,700-lawyer firm.
The proposed tie-up, which the firms announced in a joint statement, remains subject to a partner vote at both firms, but if confirmed, is set to go live on 1 May next year.
The combined firm will be known as Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer – operating as HSF Kramer in the US – and will operate with one single global profit pool, following in the footsteps of A&O Shearman, which also eschewed the verein model.
While HSF is the much larger of the two firms, with 23 offices across Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, New York and South Africa, Kramer Levin is the more profitable, with 2023 profit per equity partner of $2.41m (£1.87m), according to law.com, compared to HSF’s 2023-24 figure of £1.315m.
HSF’s revenues of £1.3bn will be boosted by around £330m by the deal, pushing it past the $2bn mark and placing it on the fringes of the world’s 25 largest law firms.
While HSF has had a New York base since 2012 – the same year of the merger of the UK’s Herbert Smith with Australia’s Freehills – it has long harboured ambitions to bulk up in the States. In a statement, HSF chair and senior partner Rebecca Maslen-Stannage (pictured) described the deal as ‘transformational’.
‘We have long been committed to expanding our offering in the US and Kramer Levin is the perfect fit,’ she said. ‘The combination delivers immediate growth for both firms from day one.’ Global CEO Justin D’Agostino added that the deal was ‘just the beginning… an excellent long-term, strategic move.’
Kramer Levin is led by co-managing partners Howard Spilko and Paul Schoeman, who described the deal as ‘a one-of-a-kind opportunity’, while also citing the firms’ cultural alignment.
In addition to its three US offices in New York, Washington DC and Silicon Valley, Kramer Levin also has a well-established Paris base, which has been in operation. since 1999.
In terms of practice strength, Kramer Levin has five top-tier Legal 500 rankings, for advertising and marketing litigation; immigration; land use/zoning and both corporate and municipal restructuring.
The US firm also has rankings for commercial disputes, employment litigation and appellate work, adding heft to HSF’s traditional disputes credentials, as well as transactional capabilities in mid-market M&A and private equity.
In the announcement of the deal, the firms cited shared strengths in private capital, M&A, restructuring, securitisation, real estate, white collar corporate crime and investigations, class actions, IP, and arbitration.
McDermott Will & Emery has followed Davis Polk’s lead, raising its London trainee pay to match the highest market rates.
Effective from 1 January, the Chicago-headquartered firm will offer a salary of £65,000 in year one, rising to £70,000 in year two. The rates previously sat at £53,000 and £58,300 respectively.
Just last month, Davis Polk announced its updated pay scale for trainees, with recruiters at the time forecasting that other US firms would follow suit, establishing a new benchmark for entry-level salaries.
London managing partner Aymen Mahmoud (pictured) told LB: ‘It’s no secret that our focus has been on growth but that means lateral and organic growth.’
‘We are really setting ourselves up for the future here by ensuring that our existing offering of top tier culture and focus on our clients is also matched by our ability to attract the very best legal talent at all levels to ensure that long-term organic growth.’
Back in July, LB revealed that McDermott had increased pay for its newly-qualified (NQ) to $225,000 (a little over £170,000 at current exchange rates), matching the Cravath scale for associate compensation all the way to eight years PQE.
Cravath Swaine & Moore’s latest rates, announced in November 2023, set NQ pay at $225,000, with $235,000 for second-year associates and $260,000 for third years, rising to $420,000 and $435,000 for seventh and eighth years respectively.
McDermott will also match Cravath’s bonuses, but with adjustments that give associates the potential to earn even more.
The intense competition for top talent has driven ongoing pay increases for trainees and newly qualified lawyers, raising eyebrows across the broader market.
David von Dadelszen, director at Jameson Legal comments: ‘There must be a hint of an incoming upturn in work to spark a war for talent but doesn’t sound as imminent if firms are competing for trainees.’
McDermott’s London office has experienced a wave of change in recent months, prompting some market peers to question if the firm is moving too rapidly. Alongside Mahmoud’s promotion to managing partner, private equity veteran Graham White has assumed the role of London senior partner.
In the last eight months, on top of White, the firm has made nine partner hires, including debt finance heavyweight Chris Kandel from Morrison Foerster in May and private equity partner Fatema Orjela from Sidley in April. Earlier this week, LB revealed that the firm had hired CMS international private equity co-head Jason Zemmel – its third hire this autumn following Sebastien Bonneau from Eversheds and Candice Nichol from KPMG.
With work including the proposed merger of Vodafone and Three’s UK businesses – a deal that would create the largest mobile operator in the UK; the successful defence of the £1bn Phones 4u litigation – the culmination of a decade’s worth of work for Vodafone’s legal team; and the launch of a major in-house transformation project, it’s fair to say that Vodafone’s lawyers have been keeping themselves busy.
Legal Business caught up with Vodafone UK’s head of legal, Karen Thorpe (pictured, sixth from left), to discuss an award-winning year.
Congratulations on winning Legal Business In-House Team of the Year! Has it been an exceptional year?
Well, we’ve been working on the proposed merger with Three which is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a legal team, we’ve also had the Phones 4u case which is a significant piece of litigation, we’ve supported contracts, propositions and new product development as well as Vodafone’s wider purpose initiatives (such as everyone.connected), and we’ve been really driving change across the team through innovation and efficiency initiatives. It has been a really big year in terms of work that we’ve been involved in. And if we receive approval for the merger, we’ll have another significant year coming up.
What’s the best thing about being an in-house lawyer?
Firstly, the team that we��ve got at Vodafone. It really is such a supportive environment with a great team culture. Besides that, the best thing is the challenging nature of the work and the fact that you are part of the business. You’re not just a lawyer advising on a transaction – you are at the heart of it from the start.
If there is such a thing as a typical day for you, what does it look like?
A typical day is basically I never get anything done on my to-do list! Joking aside, a large part of my time is working with my broader team and making sure that we’ve got the right resources and support for projects, and that we are managing and evaluating risk appropriately. Also really driving the team in terms of efficiency and transformation to ensure we can support the business as effectively as possible.
A decade’s work went into the Phones 4u litigation, did you enjoy working on the case?
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Being part of such a case is fascinating for everyone involved, including the lawyers from both the UK and Group teams who have worked on this long-running matter. Yes, it’s challenging for the business, but it’s very interesting as a lawyer to see how these things work. Now that the decision has been appealed, we will be continuing to work on this one.
An 11-week trial involving over 40 witnesses must have taken some coordination. Talk me through the build-up to the trial.
I think it’s all the preparation in terms of making sure that we had the right people, that we had all their evidence and that the witnesses were as prepared and comfortable as possible. Even for senior executives, going into a courtroom is not a particularly pleasant experience.
At its busiest, how many in-house lawyers were working on the proposed merger with Three?
I would say between 15 and 20 in-house lawyers across different disciplines have been involved so far at various points and to various degrees. This is across both my UK team and lawyers within the Group team as well. Obviously, as well as doing that, we still have to do the day job and deliver on everything else that Vodafone wants to do. So, yes, it’s a challenge, but a good one.
What are the main challenges in a transaction like this?
I would say managing the volume of work and the number of stakeholders that need to be involved. From an in-house perspective, it’s just bringing that all together with excellent communication and teamwork.
Assuming the merger is approved in December, what would the in-house team look like for the newly combined company?
We haven’t got that far yet. But I’m excited about the possibility of a team that will be able to deliver on an even bigger basis than we do today. We will be evolving and working on new ideas and new strategies. That’s partly why I’ve stayed in technology and telecoms for so long – it always changes; there’s always something new.
‘There’s lawyers all over the world. The question isn’t whether or not Black people can be lawyers. The question is, what is it about England and Wales that means that Black lawyers don’t get the same opportunities as their white counterparts? And there’s no way to explain that other than racism.’
This comment from one City associate frankly states the issue. ‘When we talk about DEI’, they continue, ‘it’s often a very polite, corporate way of saying “Don’t be racist.”’ Law firms are, perhaps understandably, reluctant to use words like racism in their communications. But failure to acknowledge the problem makes it all the harder to resolve.
Again and again, young Black lawyers interviewed for this article expressed frustration at the way their concerns had been brushed aside or steamrolled beneath a veneer of corporate respectability.
Still, ‘The firm is getting more progressive’, in the words of a third-seat trainee at an international firm. ‘And with firms doing more, it should continue to.’ According to the lawyers interviewed, progress will require active support from senior lawyers and leadership, pressure from clients, and a consistent willingness to do the work.
‘We wanted to do something impactful’ Annette Byron, Freshfields
‘You start to feel part of a minority’
It is at the early stages of application and recruitment that the legal profession’s efforts on race have been most successful. Dedicated open days for Black lawyers make the first visit to a firm ‘more comfortable’, in one lawyer’s words, while an ever-growing web of networks within and without firms helps ensure those coming into the profession have access to advice and support.
‘I didn’t think much about DE&I at the application stage’, says one former associate at a magic circle firm, now in-house. ‘But when you start going to open days you start to feel part of a minority.’
Many commented on the disillusionment that this experience can produce. ‘I have a few friends who, when this industry didn’t seem accessible to them, their motivation just slipped away’, says Freshfields associate Blaise Nsenguwera.
Nsenguwera is also a 2018 recipient of the Stephen Lawrence Scholarship – a Freshfields initiative that was singled out by many as one of the strongest law firm efforts for Black lawyers. Launched in 2013 for first-year students at UK universities, the scheme provides a 15-month programme coordinated by Freshfields and a range of partner organisations, including the Bank of England and Goldman Sachs. ‘The scholarship offered a great way to gain some exposure to the City and to career paths that up to that point were pretty opaque’, says Freshfields associate and 2017 scholar Jamaal Jackson. ‘It was the point at which I felt the door start to open for me.’
Nsenguwera concurs: ‘That’s when everything really changed for me. It was the first time that I went to a corporate law firm, and I was surrounded by people who look like me, with similar stories and backgrounds. It gave me the belief that this space is for us.’
Freshfields real estate partner and scholarship founder Annette Byron says the motivation behind the scheme was simple: ‘We wanted to do something impactful on DE&I – something that would have a deeper approach, and something that specifically focuses on underrepresentation of the Black community.’
‘We need commitment to tackle the issue’ Blaise Nsenguwera, Freshfields
‘In two years you’re back to square one’
‘We get a lot of minority lawyers at the junior end’, says one associate. ‘The issue now is what’s happening at the middle to partnership promotion level. That’s where you get the tailoff.’ SRA data bears this out: a 2023 survey found that 2% of solicitors in firms with 50 partners or more were Black, compared to 1% of salaried or partial equity partners and 0% of full equity partners.
A former associate comments: ‘It’s quite painful. It kind of shows you your future. The attrition rate is incredible. Before I started training at my former firm, I got told that the most senior Black person, who wasn’t as experienced as you might expect, maybe two years PQE, was leaving before I joined. When you see that, for whatever reason it’s happening, you can’t really see a path for you.’
Several lawyers reported not being retained or being turned down for promotions. ‘When I didn’t get retained after training, I found it very difficult to get concrete answers as to why’, says one former lawyer who left the legal profession. ‘What I was getting back was, “You were right in the mix, you just missed out.” I later found out that while they’d said they only had two positions available, they actually offered an additional job.’
Another associate at a different firm recounts a similar experience: ‘I applied for an NQ position at the firm I trained at and didn’t get it. One thing I wasn’t aware of was that colleagues were doing things like getting taken out for coffees when I wasn’t. So maybe I wasn’t glad-handing enough or kissing enough ass. Maybe I was a bad lawyer then – but if I was a bad lawyer then, I wouldn’t be employed now, right? You never get the smoking-gun proof. But I felt it was a case of my face not quite fitting.’
The causes of this tailoff are varied and murky. For one in-house counsel, ‘One issue is certain people not being given certain types of work. The person who’s white, who’s come from Eton and Oxford, whose dad is maybe friends with a partner – they might find it easier to get a certain kind of work, whereas people without that background might struggle.’
These experiences often prove alienating and frustrating – and lead some to question firms’ claims to progress on diversity. ‘Are you really doing anyone a favour if you put them through the system to inflate your diversity numbers, and in two years they’re back to square one?’, asks one former lawyer.
Then-Allen & Overy pushed ahead in this space when it began publishing its ‘stay gap’ statistics in 2020. A&O Shearman UK diversity and inclusion head Jo Dooley explains: ‘One of the pieces of work we did showed that if you were a black lawyer at A&O you would stay with the business for around two years and five months less than your white counterparts. There was a gap for other ethnic minorities, but it was much smaller. We’re really pleased that we’ve started to close that gap.’
In its 2023 report, legacy A&O found that Black lawyers spend on average one year less at the firm than their white counterparts.
Dooley credits A&O Shearman’s achievements to a combination of formal networks and programmes on the one hand, and day-to-day work to undo systemic biases on the other. The firm deserves credit for taking the initial step to publish this information. Many lawyers interviewed argued that greater transparency around this issue is key to beginning to solve it.
‘People’s mindsets need to change’ Asha Owen-Adams, Ashurst
‘We need to stop putting the burden on all the ethnic minorities to solve the problem’
Young Black lawyers argue that the key factor that determines how well firms perform is the extent of senior support – crucially, financial support. This is all the more important when participation in mentoring and networks adds to Black lawyers’ already high workloads.
An in-house counsel explains: ‘Diversity initiatives are run by people who care – and that’s almost always Black people. So there’s more pressure on Black people to support the firm by doing more work. It’s less of an issue at firms that put real budget behind diversity initiatives. Yes, the lawyers have more work, but they’ve also got more resources to do it. It’s about having a PA who can go out and get in the right cultural food for an event, say, rather than making the lawyer do it.’
An associate concurs: ‘Lawyers, particularly young lawyers, may fall into this trap of, “I’m going to go ham on DE&I, I’m going to do all these roundtables and post on LinkedIn about it.” But honestly, firms should just hire PR professionals and pay them to do this. Don’t add to the burden for young lawyers. And meanwhile there are white lawyers who don’t have to do this and can spend their time on their careers.’
Ashurst associate Asha Owen-Adams and chair of the firm’s Black Network says: ‘We need to stop putting the burden on all the ethnic minorities to solve the problem, because, at least at this point in time, there aren’t enough of us to make the change. We really need people’s mindsets to change, because it’s hard to confront these issues if the majority of people think, “This isn’t my problem, this isn’t for me.” It’s not enough for just Black or ethnic minorities to be helping each other, because we are the minority. We need allies, advocates and sponsors.’
While ‘representation matters’, in the words of one associate, firms that don’t provide sufficient support can go from representation to tokenism. A former associate recalls: ‘Every year at the firm that I trained at there were two Black trainees in the graduate recruitment intake, and at least one of them would always be on the website. It’s a fine line – you want to attract more Black talent to apply, but you don’t want to use people as mascots.’
Too often, says one former lawyer, ‘Law firms rely on your goodwill to promote the brand as something that it isn’t.’
At worst, firms can be actively dismissive. A former lawyer recalls dealing with an HR worker at his old firm: ‘He was very combative as I shared my experience as a Black man in a firm that at the time had only five other Black men. He kept saying, “That’s not our culture, that’s not what we do.” And I said, “With all due respect, it’s my experience, and I’m trying to tell you about it.”’
More often, though, lack of interest is subtler. A third-seat trainee comments: ‘Sometimes people with traditional views aren’t as outspoken because they know they won’t be popular. But that means they go unnoticed. There are people that never attend these events, never interact with these networks. They kind of operate in the shadows, but they’re still there, and they still have influence within the firm.’
A former lawyer is more forthright: ‘All the leadership people say the right things, but it’s often just smoke and mirrors. A lot of these people believe their own bullshit.’
‘I felt the door start to open for me’ Jamaal Jackson, Freshfields
‘Are we going to go back 20 years?’
What can encourage law firms to provide support? For many, the key lies in making sure that even those that don’t care about diversity have clear reasons to move forwards on it.
Here the role of clients is crucial. ‘In-house counsel can do a lot to help’, says one associate. ‘They can go to their firms and say, “Where’s the diversity? Come on, you’re based in London – we can’t believe that Black lawyers aren’t able to do the work.” If clients put pressure on them, the firms will change.’
Owen-Adams agrees: ‘Clients increasingly ask about diversity stats. There are lot of good firms that are good in their practice areas, now you need to differentiate yourself beyond financials. It’s not enough nowadays to just earn a lot of money. There are requirements on issues like ESG and diversity. In same way clients look at their own businesses, they look at that from their lawyers as well.’
Of course, some firms still try to game the system. They use what one former lawyer refers to as ‘bait and switch visibility: they have you in the room for the meeting, but they don’t give you the work.’
However, clients are increasingly aware of such tactics. One in-house counsel recalls a situation in which her mentor included questions on diversity in a panel review for the first time: ‘The firm she’d been working with for years didn’t fill that section out, so she didn’t hire them. They were really shocked.’
The same lawyer also recounts a time that her team questioned their law firm in a more direct manner: ‘We went to our firm and met a bunch of all white male partners. My boss asked, “What’s going on here?” The relationship partner recognised that it wasn’t ideal and answered the question really well.’
This is encouraging. But interviewees stressed that progress is not automatic. There is a real risk of slipping backwards. A former lawyer comments: ‘If it’s disregarded, if it’s viewed as “not really our problem”, what happens? Are we going to go back 20 years? Because if we do we’re just going to get the same results: more racism, more Islamophobia, more homophobia.’
Another former lawyer highlights that law firms aren’t entitled to Black talent. ‘A training contract is your ticket in. But once you get that ticket and you’ve seen how things operate, you don’t need to stay. The fact that you got that training contract makes you appealing to any number of other employers. Go where the water’s warm. I’m quite happy to have taken that investment in me and walked out of the door. If that’s not a loss for the firm, that says more about them than anything else.’
‘Things have improved’, says one associate, ‘but it didn’t happen naturally. It happened because people kept pushing the needle, saying discrimination isn’t okay.’ Law firms must ensure they remain mindful of problems around race discrimination – and take active steps to address them. ‘It’s important to speed it up’, says Nsenguwera. ‘The notion of waiting ten years for people to make it to the right level of seniority is a bit problematic. People leave, people change careers. We need commitment to tackle the issue – and that has to come from the entire legal sector, not just from Black lawyers.’
Merely being seen to do the right thing is not enough. In the words of one associate: ‘It’s a question of what kind of profession we want to have. I could never respect racism. But I’d almost respect it more if firms just said, “We have a certain image, a certain kind of person we want to hire.” For those firms, the DE&I stuff is just PR. It’s window dressing.’
Still, many law firms have a genuine commitment to diversity. They encourage and promote action, run schemes and initiatives, and put their money where their mouth is. And while they disagreed on its extent, none of the lawyers interviewed for this piece denied that progress has been made.
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