Breaking down the barriers to law needs action and measurement
Following on from the success of Phase 1 and the report launch in Parliament, the Breaking Down Barriers to Law project is now focusing on action and measurement.
The collaborative project by the Purpose Coalition and a group of leading law firms aims to boost social mobility and put the legal sector at the forefront of innovation in this space.
The first phase of work focused on the four key areas of outreach, access, recruitment and progression where those from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds face the greatest barriers.
Discussions around these topics helped develop a series of recommendations for short and long-term action. In the short-term, these ranged from the establishment of outreach links with a network of universities, schools and colleges in social mobility cold spots to collecting, tracking and reporting socio-economic data at every level of seniority to ensure progression is fair.
In the longer term, recommendations include the development of a collective multi-channel social media campaign focusing on demystifying the legal sector and additional SQE support courses and resources for apprentices, trainees and paralegals.
The second phase of the work is focusing on action, measurement and links with the wider Purpose Coalition.
The group has been introduced to the wider work of the Breaking Down Barriers Commission by Nick Forbes CBE, as well as getting insight into the thinking of the new Government during a session with the former Shadow Legal Services Minister Alex Cunningham MP. The Breaking Down Barriers to Law project is now embarking on a piece of work looking at social impact measurement. A series of roundtables will take place to explore the Social Scopes model which breaks down social impact into three areas (people, supply chain and community) in a similar way to carbon emissions.
Law firms participating in the project include FBC Manby Bowdler, Brachers, Wilsons, Chadwick Lawrence, Fletchers Solicitors, Clyde & Co and Weil.
