Diversity League Table

Historically the higher echelons of the legal profession in the UK have been traditionally white and traditionally male.

A small number of women and an even smaller number of ethnic minorities did make it to Associate level in leading firms, with one or two making Partner. But it was quite literally one or two.

The Diversity League Table came about because of the need to tackle such issues, with the first step being to encourage firms (as it was in 2006) to be more transparent about the demographic make up of their organisations.

Publishing the individual profiles allowed the reader to see how diverse (or not) a practice was. The Rankings, or league tables, allows participants (and readers) to more easily see how they compared to their peers; not just overall, but within different areas and grades.

The reporting on trends in representation allows one to step back and take an invaluable snapshot of the wider profession; helping to put things into context across all areas of the business as it relates to diversity.

Benefits to participants:

This information has helped a number of participants identify areas for internal improvement and change; allowing more informed decisions to be arrived at when looking at attracting, recruiting, retaining and promoting people from diverse or disadvantaged backgrounds.

The introduction in 2009 of published case studies means that best-practice now be shared more freely. For participants that can only be good, which in turn is good for those looking to enter the profession, as better practice is spread and embedded.

The Diversity League Table provides a unique and high profile platform for participants and supporters to promote their position on diversity and equality of access for all.

Inclusion in the Diversity League Table is important, because an increasing number of procurers seek to work only with companies and organisations that have a commitment to diversity comparable to their own.

Benefits to readers:

The Diversity League Table is made available to procurers of legal and HR services, as well as other stakeholders working in and around the legal profession. This includes:

The Diversity League Table is unique in that it delivers a wide range of information in a single publication. Unique also in that it gives the reader the type and breath of information they need, demand and expect.

It is the only UK publication looking at diversity in the legal profession which provides the reader with at-a-glance comparisons in the form of cases studies and easy to use league tables.

Presented in this way, the Diversity League Table enables the reader to quickly access the particular information they need, to make decisions which are right for them.