Data on diversity
Research is an important tool to help us understand where we are at when it comes to equality and diversity in the legal profession and where we are headed. A quick look at any of the statistics out there is enough to conclude that we have a lot of work left.
This page collects diversity statistics from the UK’s legal professional bodies and the Ministry of Justice. We hope it is a useful place to help you locate data for a particular area of the profession you are interested in or to provide a bird’s eye view across the legal system.
Red = Hyperlink
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Solicitors Regulation Authority
How diverse is the legal profession?
Review of diversity data collected from firms in 2019
Interactive tool to view information about each diversity characteristic by firm size, work type, number of branches and location
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The Law Society of England & Wales
Comprehensive view of the the size and structure of the solicitors’ profession, including visual illustrations of the distribution of practising certificate (PC) holders by gender, ethnicity and region.
Race for inclusion: the experiences of Black, Asian and minority ethnic solicitors
Report into the representation and experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) solicitors.
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Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
The Judiciary in Northern Ireland: Equality Monitoring Report 2019
Annual report with diversity statistics for judicial office holders and judicial appointments processes.
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Ministry of Justice
Diversity of the judiciary: Legal professions, new appointments and current post-holders
2020 annual report into diversity of current judicial office holders, for judicial selection and within the legal professions which typically supply candidates for most judicial roles
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Bar Standards Board
Statistics on each level of the Bar, from vocational training to Queen’s Counsel
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The Law Society of Scotland
Profile of the Profession 2018
Major study of those working in Scotland’s legal sector examining equality and diversity.
