Equity partnership still heavily dominated by men, SRA data shows

Women continue to outnumber men among lawyers - but represent only 35% of partners with a stake in the business. The number of lawyers with disabilities is growing but remains significantly below the national workforce. These are some of the findings from latest data released by the Solicitors Regulation Authority charting the make-up of the profession over the past decade.

In 2015, 48% of lawyers were women. Now, they represent 55%. But while 49% of salaried partners are women, they account for 35% of full equity partners overall and only 31% of full equity partners in the biggest firms. The proportion of female equity partners in 2015 is unknown, as collection of this particular data began in 2023.

The proportion of lawyers with disabilities is now 8%, up from 3% in 2015. The number of people with disabilities in the national workforce is currently 17%.

The proportion of black, Asian and minority ethnic lawyers now stands at 20%, up from 14% a decade ago. However, the SRA’s new ‘data tool’, which enables a more detailed breakdown, shows that in firms with more than 50 partners, Asian people represent 5% of the partnership and black people represent 0.5% - percentages that have barely risen over the decade.

SRA chief executive Sarah Rapson said: 'Encouraging diversity and inclusion within the legal sector is positive for consumers and for law firms alike. Consumers benefit from working with legal professionals that reflect their wider community, and firms thrive with talented professionals from different backgrounds in their firms.

'Whether we look at trends over the past 10 years or the most recent data, it is clear that while progress has been made, more can be done. In particular, to address the barriers to progression for women and minority ethnic solicitors in larger firms, the underrepresentation of disabled solicitors, and to encourage those from less privileged backgrounds to progress in the profession.’

Law Society president Mark Evans said the data was useful and encouraging, but there was 'much more work to be done' for the profession to truly represent the society it serves. 

'Women, minority ethnic, LGBTQ+ and disabled solicitors still face barriers to senior roles and this is a key focus of our new EDI strategy. While we welcome this data, we recognise that it doesn’t include those working in-house and therefore isn’t a full picture of the whole profession,' Evans said.