Given the proudly diverse nature of our country it is unfortunate that ethnic minority groups remain under-represented in the legal profession in England and Wales.
According to the Office for National Statistics Survey of Ethnicity and National Identity in England and Wales 2011, 14% of the population is non-white. The Law Society figures for the same year show that 12.6% of solicitors on the roll and 4.4% of law firm partners are from ethnic minority groups (Annual Statistical Report 2011 and Diversity and Inclusion Charter Annual Review 2011).
Moreover, solicitors from ethnic minority backgrounds appear to be concentrated in smaller practices.
This situation can be partly explained by the extra challenges faced by those coming from relatively unprivileged backgrounds with few family and social connections in the legal profession. This creates a number of practical and psychological disadvantages in the competitive, and intense, process of qualifying as a solicitor and advancing your career.
Of course, not all solicitors from ethnic minority backgrounds are affected in this way, nor are these problems exclusive to one group. However, ethnic minority lawyers are possibly disproportionately subject to these hurdles.
Networking can play a hugely important role in helping solicitors from ethnic minority backgrounds overcome these professional barriers.
Making contacts
The most basic function of networking is to enable you to meet people and build connections that can provide practical assistance in advancing your career.
These could be people within the legal industry who could make you aware of a job opportunity or recommend you for a position: there is no overstating the value of personal contacts in legal recruitment.
Alternatively, you might meet potential clients. Networking is one of the best ways to bring clients to your firm as it allows you to find out about the potential client's needs in an informal setting, showcase your legal knowledge and understanding of their industry, and gain their trust.
Finding role models
Of course, networking is not just a way to make business contacts, but also real friends. Networking events give you the chance to meet a much wider variety of people than you might encounter at work or law school, including those who have had similar experiences and challenges.
Being friends with peers and as well as older, more experienced people in the legal profession is a great asset. Friends can provide great practical advice and tips on subjects ranging from client management and workplace relations to CPD requirements.
They can also give you an insight into law firms other than your own and their management style and internal policies, not to mention salary levels.
Law can be a highly stressful and intellectually exhausting profession - being able to chat and unburden to friends who are in the same situation or have been through it before can make all the difference in those difficult moments when you might question your own capability and resilience.
Meeting more experienced lawyers can be especially useful; there a few better inspirations than a role model whose professional achievements you admire and to whom you can relate to on a personal level.
Building confidence
Confidence is a highly important quality for solicitors. You must be able to be calm, articulate, and assertive during stressful situations and when dealing with demanding and highly intelligent colleagues and clients.
Networking is a wonderful way to boost your confidence in your professional relations with other lawyers and clients. Some people hate networking because it forces you to make small talk with people you have just met and who you might not otherwise choose to socialise with.
However, the practice in relating to and finding things in common with different people is something that can be directly applied to the work of a solicitor, when being personable and able to put people at ease are highly valued skills.
Moreover, the various specialist areas of law are often very small worlds in terms of the practitioners and clients involved. Building personal connections helps you become an 'insider' which is a great benefit in itself as well as being confidence-enhancing.
The legal profession and public would benefit from a more diverse and representative body of solicitors. The path is certainly open for solicitors from ethnic minority groups to succeed in the highest levels of the legal profession but there is no doubt that difficulties remain.
Networking is a powerful tool in helping ethnic minority lawyers overcome the challenges they face in the legal profession.
The Law Society’s Ethnic Minority Division wishes to thank Contact Law for their contribution. Contact Law is a London based legal brokerage that allows individuals to find a solicitor across the UK.