Representation of legal professionals

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Legal Personnel

However, this picture looks different when considering more senior positions; only 32% of full-equity partners are women and 47% of salaried partners are women.

The introduction of the SQEs and other routes (e.g. CILEx) could be argued to help women get into the profession as they require less commitment to a full-time degree and LPC, which could help alleviate the pressures of childcare duties.

53%

45%

RePRESENTATION OF SOLICITORS

of lawyers are women, up from 52% in 2021 (SRA).

of lawyers are men, down from 47% in 2021. (SRA)

of solicitors come from a professional socio-economic background, compared with 37% nationally.

of solicitors attended a fee-paying school, compared with 7.5% nationally.

This data suggests that soliciors do tend to represent the upper and middle class bakgrounds in society, making it less representative of society.Why do you think that is?

57%

Socio-economic background

21%

RePRESENTATION OF SOLICITORS

82% of people in England and Wales are white, and 18% belong to a black, Asian, mixed or other ethnic group (2021 Census data). This suggests that there is a good representation of ethnic minority people in the legal profession.

REPRESentation of solicitors

12%

There has been an increase in the proportion of Black, Asian and minority ethnic lawyers working in law firms, which has been rising steadily since 2015, from 14% to 19% in 2023.

Represenation of minority ethnic people

are from mixed ethnic backgrounds

are black

are from other ethnic groups

are Asian

This suggests that it is more difficult for those students from a lower socio-economic background to follow the 'traditional' route of becoming a solicitor making it less representative of society.

After the LLB or GDL, the prospective solicitor must traditionally complete a Legal Practice Course (LPC).
This is unfunded by student finance. Full-time LPC courses can cost anywhere between £7,850 and £17,950. Some Law firms offer funding for it but it isn't guaranteed.

Traditionally, you have to do a degree to become a solicitor. This can either be in law (LLB) or another subject.
If the degree is in another subject, then the prospective solicitor will have to complete the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) with the average for a full-time GDL course being approximately £8,400. This cannot be funded through post-graduate loans, unless you do it as a masters course.

Education and Training

Representation of solicitors

The cost for the SQE is significantly less than the LPC. SQE 1 will cost £1,158 and SQE 2 will cost £2,422.

The introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Exams (SQEs) instead of a traditional LPC can make this line of work more accessible as it is a lot cheaper.Similarly, it is possible to become a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) which removes the need for student loans/hefty university payments

However...

Representation of solicitors

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