Chambers join diversity table amid concern over impact of economic crisis on future EM lawyers

Barristers chambers have appeared for the first time in the Diversity League Table produced by the Black Solicitors Network.

Just over a third (23) of the 60 sets approached agreed to take part in the 2009 edition of the research. “This is a very promising start and the Bar Council is working to ensure that more chambers come on board in future,” the BSN said.

The Diversity League Table 2009 put 1 Garden Court Family Chambers at the top of the overall ranking for participating chambers. Among law firms, Thompsons took first place ahead of Flint Bishop, last year’s leading practice.

The response rates for law firms was only 28% of those invited to take part, compared to 38% for chambers. However, the number of firms participating has risen from 40 to 72 in the three years of the table’s existence and this year’s research suggests that firms have shown significant internal improvements across both ethnicity and gender diversity during this period.

Michael Webster, Editor of the Diversity League Table and a BSN Board member, said the more active participation by chambers is part of the longstanding tradition of ethnic minority lawyers preferring to become barristers than solicitors, with Ghandi and Mandela to name a few.

“There has been a long history of EM lawyers going to the bar rather than becoming solicitors,” he said. “The tradition goes back many years.”

However, Webster said both sides of the profession have been working to increase opportunities.

“Through the Neuberger Report the bar has taken great strides to open access to all, which in itself is welcome,” he said.  “Law firms have their own specific initiatives. The league table itself is a good example.”

The pressing concern for the future is that increased costs and current economic burdens may deter EM lawyers from coming to the bar, especially those that do not come from privileged backgrounds. The Neuberger Report has recognised embarking on a career at the Bar is an economic challenge, involving present expense and loss of income plus future financial and employment risk.

“The costs of qualifying now are huge,” Webster said. “This could be a major obstacle.”

According to Webster, there is still some way to go with the 2009 table suggesting a decrease in the numbers of EM lawyers across many areas. “Maybe we need to start looking more closely at the actual impact of some of the initiatives which attempt to attract more EM lawyers to the profession,” he said. “It is also important to look at what initiatives exist to assist in the retention of EM lawyers as it is the percentages at the associate and partner levels within the leading firms which are decreasing.”

Cordella Bart-Stewart, Chair of the Black Solicitors Network, added: "The importance of the Diversity League Table is that it leads to greater transparency, and to the ability to identify issues and contribute to the debate on identifying solutions."

David Edmonds, Chair of the Legal Services Board (LSB) said: "I believe the profession must now start to create a universal framework to measure the effectiveness of the many laudable initiatives being undertaken across the sector – both to chart the impact of current programmes and to identify where the gaps are and to start to tackle them. I welcome the fact that this league table shifts the emphasis onto what is actually being achieved and how achievement can be measured."