Responding to the publication of a report today on social mobility and access to the professions, by former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn, Law Society President, John Wotton said:
'The Law Society strongly supports efforts to increase social mobility - the profession must have access to the best talent, irrespective of social background. That is why we and our members have been working hard for so long on this issue. Our ambition is clear, we want the solicitor's profession to be widely recognised as a meritocracy where the sole criteria for entry and advancement are integrity, ability and hard work. That is already the case for most of our leading practices. The efforts made by the solicitors' profession have been properly recognised by Alan Milburn, but we agree that there is further to go.
'The law is a highly competitive profession with a large number of talented individuals seeking to enter it. Government, educational institutions and wider society share the responsibility for the educational underachievement of people from disadvantaged backgrounds which, if addressed, could unblock their path to careers in the law and other professions. The Law Society stands ready to work with other interested bodies to address the issues Alan Milburn has raised.'
Ends