"Joanna's work exemplifies a deep commitment to creating more equitable opportunities for people from all walks of life and has empowered countless individuals to succeed in fields previously out of reach."
When it comes to socio-economic diversity in law firms, the Bridge Group 2020 Report found that partners at a group of leading law firms in England were “deeply lacking in diversity, and most acutely by socio-economic background”.
53% of partners employed across the participating firms attended an independent school, compared to 7.2% of school children in the UK who attend independent schools. In contrast, data released by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in October 2024 shows that solicitor apprentices as a whole, when compared to the overall the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) cohort, are from lower socio-economic backgrounds. A higher proportion of apprentices come from working class backgrounds - this is derived from data on household earner occupation, and a much higher proportion of apprentices attended a state school.
This matters a lot to me as someone with lived experience of social mobility and #StateSchoolProud (to borrow the hashtag of my friends at The 93% Club).
As a Founding Member of 93% Professionals I take my tote bag everywhere with me!
"I respect Joanna as a powerful state-schooled voice in the legal profession promoting socio-economic diversity. Jo was one of our first Founding Members for 93% Professionals, and supports the social mobility work of the 93% Club in many ways"
If you do have a socio-economic diversity intention behind the introduction of your solicitor apprenticeship scheme, there are some special considerations. And there are pitfalls to avoid.
For wider advice on social mobility strategies that work for law firms, I can assist initially and then connect you with relevant organisations.
I'm a passionate advocate for socio-economic diversity in the legal profession and between May 2021 and November 2022 was a Working Group member of the Government-commissioned City of London Taskforce to boost socio-economic diversity at senior levels in UK financial and professional services.
I am extremely proud to be a judge for the UK Social Mobility Awards and one of the 10 Movers and Shakers on the inaugural Social Mobility List 2024.
Please see my FAQ page for social mobility reading recommendations.
As you would imagine, I speak about social mobility and socio-economic diversity in the law in all the podcast interviews give - I have listed some of these on my Podcasts page.