Legal profession ‘inherently masculine’, says report for LSB
Stereotyping and bias are preventing women and black and minority ethnic (BME) solicitors from furthering their careers, a report funded by the Legal Services Board has found.
The report by the University of Westminster claimed that the profession is ‘segmented and stratified’ along the lines of gender, race and class.
It said inequalities in pay and status are causing women and BME lawyers to abandon their careers in ‘disproportionately high numbers’.
The profession is ‘inherently masculine’ in its working patterns and general culture, the report said, and characterised by ‘possibly unwitting’ biases against professionals who are non-white or from lower socio-economic groups.
The report’s authors interviewed 77 lawyers, would-be lawyers and former lawyers, as well as five diversity managers. They found that many women and BME solicitors believe work in their law firms is allocated unfairly, ‘fostering the careers of some at the expense of others’. Respondents also believed that powerful senior figures, ‘generally white men’, tended to foster the careers of ‘young white men’ in what is a ‘white, male elitist’ profession.
The report added that that ‘racial stereotyping remains pervasive, especially in the north of England’.
The report proposes a number of measures for improving diversity in the profession, including: offering bursaries for Legal Practice Course students and trainees; encouraging flexible working for women and men; ensuring work allocation and promotion are transparent; requiring law firms to disclose diversity data; and developing formal support networks and mentoring schemes.
The report, Diversity in the legal profession in England and Wales: a qualitative study of barriers and individual choices, was prepared by the University of Westminster and will be formally launched on 13 October.
LSB chief executive Chris Kenny recently said that driving ‘action on increasing diversity and social mobility in the legal workforce’ is a ‘major priority’ in the LSB’s work. He said the board’s plans to compel law firms to publish data about the diversity of their staff will act as a ‘powerful incentive’ for firms to increase social mobility.
Comments
Don't worry if Tesco law goes
Don't worry if Tesco law goes ahead there wont be any men working in the law. The headsets wont fit the men.
Well as a recently made
Well as a recently made redundant solicitor who is a young black female not living in london the chances of me fulfilling my potential as a solicitor look very slim....I expect they always have been, which I why I work so hard and see so little in return. I don't expect there to be any major changes but I hope to be proved wrong.
yawn.. yet more politically
yawn.. yet more politically motivated politically correct gibberish.
Astounded by this article
I have decided that due to the current economic climate coupled with figures published by the SRA in connection to successful applicants for training contracts that the chances of me being able to secure a training contract (especially due to my age,sex and ethnicity) are either slim or virtually non-existent at the present time. I have found that once a firm discovers my actual age the door which seemed up to then very warmly open, is slammed shut.
Looking at the Law society figures which are available from 2008 it makes for VERY bleak reading for a 44 year old white male. The figures read for Training Contracts awarded something along the lines of
63.4 % of places offered to Women
20.9 % of places offered to persons of known ethnicity (with only 30 % being offered to men in that category) Source: Juniorlawyers.lawsociety.org
Meaning that already a minimum of C: 77 % of places are already out of my reach. I am then led to believe that approximately 64 % of any places are allocated to those under 29 years of age, with a further large percentage of the balance being offered to males under 30 years old. This means in reality that I would statistically stand no real chance of securing a training contract out the remaining potential 11% of places available, on the assumption that I am not Oxbridge stock.
NB: I also fully understand that this type of affirmative discrimination from the profession is an attempt to redress the balance of previous imbalances in the selection process, however, whilst understandable, this does not help me in my quest I am afraid.
I genuinely believed I could have been a good Lawyer and advocat but with the above facts and statistics quite clearly against me I find I had no choice but to withdraw from my LPC place. I am not a defeatist or a quitter, indeed I passed my LLB with a 2:1 and without any tangible real financial, or social support other than that extended to my peer group, who don't have young children, I competed in Moot Competitions, Telders, OUP two years in a row, and internal moots. I was a senior partner in my Universities Law Clinic and was team leader for our Street Law Team. I also have a demonstrable twenty year working history with considerable transferable skills.From my point of view this has all been wasted energy because from my perspective the proffession does not accomodate candidates such as myself.
Therefore to read this articles findings I am incredulous.
PS: Appologies for being negative.
Wake up to post October 2011 ABS Tesco law
I really don't think the legal profession understands what is going to happen when ABSs are permitted October 2011. 90% of the solicitors part of the legal profession will look a bit like retail banking with hardly any qualified lawyers employed. Litigation lawyers will exist but pay will continue to spiral downwards and the quest for profit will inevitably result in cheaper lower calibre staff being employed. Everything will be done with corporate efficiency and a customer service workforce which will almost entirely be made up of women. It will mean the end of lawyers and the end of many law schools. This will obviously not happen immediately but the process will begin from October 2011.
Post -Tesco law the word "elite" would only really apply to lawyers at the top firms which will probably continue to be made up of a significant number of white upper middleclass males who are privately and Oxbridge educated and on good salaries. However, why is it that even now the carrot of partnership is no longer as attractive as it used to be?
The law schools are unintentionally misleading their students that the law is an elite profession where most of the good students will have a seat and secretary in a law firm and will have a glossy life style. Thousands of pounds are being wasted by prospective lawyers who will not be getting the career they have worked very hard to achieve. Generation X were on a road to nowhere and have now arrived nowhere. Generation Tesco law will find that there is not even the road to nowhere.
Those lucky enough to get legal jobs may be wearing retail uniforms and name badges.
Women who come from lower socio-economic backgrounds will benefit from Tesco law but most of them will have no legal qualifications. Corporate culture is anti-discrimation and keen to promote diversity so I do not think it likely that Tesco law will be any worse say retail banking where is it clear that ethnic minorities are employed on the front line.
The futures not bright for the legal profession overall but the future will be women not men.
Tesco Law
I provide a local personal service to a number of commercial clients, as a self-employed consultant solicitor from my home based office. I go to see my clients at their place of business or home. This mode of working works well and suits my clients. I do not for one minute think that these clients would consider employing Tescos to provide their legal advice and do not believe that Tescos will in any way be able to compete in terms of either quality of service or price.
It is up to the legal profession to provide the personal service that clients need and want, and to update their way of working from the traditional 9-5 High Street practice. By doing so, Tesco Law will not pose any real threat.