The London Law Fair takes place at the Law Society on 26 November. It is organised by a consortium of six new London universities and offers firms the chance to meet talented and ambitious students from diverse backgrounds who might otherwise escape recruitment efforts.

These students bring a wide range of languages, cultural literacy and technical fluency, particularly valuable for extending client bases within emerging markets. It represents a significant opportunity for firms to make their recruitment more inclusive.

We know that some firms make efforts to expand their recruitment pool and to help address issues of social mobility in the profession. So we have been surprised at the low take-up by firms. Only 18% of firms who exhibited at last year’s fair have booked, and just 0.5% of those invited have registered. It is vital to offer an open door to students who face barriers to joining the profession – the fair is just one of the ways to do this.

We hope to see more firms registering and being there to welcome students into Chancery Lane on 26 November.

Professor Sara Chandler, London South Bank University, chair of the London Law Fair Consortium

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