The legal profession will join the world as it marks Disability Pride Month. First celebrated in the UK in 2015, events are now held throughout the country. It provides a focus for disabled people to come together and celebrate, as well as fostering conversations on how people can be better allies.
According to data by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, 8% of lawyers declared they had a disability. The proportion of disabled lawyers has increased by five percentage points, from 3% in 2015 to 8% in 2025, although the true figure will be higher.
The Law Society has long championed solicitors and their role in upholding justice. We’ve stood alongside the profession in its fight for equality, while trailblazing solicitors paved the way for greater inclusion.
However, inequality and bias continue to shape career paths. Women, minority ethnic, LGBTQ+ and disabled solicitors still face barriers to senior roles. And too often, workplace cultures leave people feeling like they can’t bring their best selves to work.
Last year, the Law Society committed to building a more inclusive profession by launching its new member-facing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy (2025-2028).
The strategy aims to support disabled solicitors, strengthen diversity in senior leadership and build more inclusive workplace cultures.
Get involved
We can’t, however, do this alone. The Law Society recently embarked on its Get Involved volunteering programme, which enables more solicitors to contribute to their professional body.
The programme is designed to provide solicitors with flexible opportunities to come together and share their knowledge and experiences, as well as addressing key issues affecting them. We currently have two opportunities for solicitors to get involved with our EDI work.
Firstly, by joining focus groups or interviews with external researchers, to identify what works in leadership, mentoring and sponsorship programmes that are targeted at under-represented groups.
The researchers are nearing the end of their literature review and are now moving on to explore people’s own experiences.
As such, we are keen to hear from:
- Those who have participated in these programmes as members of under-represented groups, mentees and those being sponsored.
- Those who have participated as leaders, mentors or sponsors; and
- Those involved in implementing programmes (such as in leadership teams or EDI/HR professionals).
Those who do get involved, will be helping a key project under the Law Society’s new EDI Strategy that aims to improve the diversity of senor leaders in large firms and in-house teams.
There will also be an opportunity to connect with others with similar interests and experiences and have the chance to express an interest in being involved in future work.
Meanwhile, the Inclusive Cultures working group has been established to support our new Inclusive Cultures research project.
The Law Society is engaging an external agency to conduct research on how the legal sector creates, sustains and measures inclusive workplace cultures. The working group will provide insights and feedback on emerging findings.
As such, we are looking for people who can bring personal and professional insight, practical experience and sector knowledge, including legal professionals and those working in EDI, HR and wellbeing roles.
The summer is often a pivotal time in EDI, as the world marks Pride and Disability Pride Month, with different communities and allies coming together to raise awareness of disability and champion intersectionality and grassroots activism.
I urge solicitors with the required experience to sign up to Get Involved. We can’t achieve change alone and this is an exciting opportunity to make real, lasting change in the profession.
The deadline for expressing interest is 13 July and please get in touch via diversityteam@lawsociety.org.uk.
Mark Evans is president of the Law Society of England and Wales
