Diversity: developing and reaching new talent

'Investing in the next generation is vital to sustaining our own success, and the success of other businesses and the societies in which we live and work. That is why we believe we have a responsibility to help young people from all backgrounds to improve their skills and develop their potential. In a fast-changing world, where demand for talented people and imaginative solutions is high, we have a particular responsibility to our own profession to ensure a wider range of people take up commercial law.'
Barry O'Brien, member of the diversity leadership team in London, member of our community and pro bono committee, and Business in the Community's Education Leadership Team

We recruit from around the world. We also invest time and effort in attracting and developing future talent in our London office, where the majority of our people are based.

Encouraging more black and minority ethnic people, and people from a range of backgrounds, into our law firm

In London, we are involved with a variety of organisations and programmes that are designed to develop potential candidates, break down misconceptions about professional services firms and attract applicants from a range of backgrounds. We support initiatives such as Target Chances and Sponsorship for Educational Opportunity, designed to help people from black and minority ethnic groups to enter the legal profession, and Pure Potential and the Sutton Trust's Pathways to Law scheme, for those from 'non-traditional' backgrounds. We supported the first City Solicitors' Education Trust summer school and were the first City firm to support the Diversity in Law scheme, through which we have recruited two trainee solicitors.

We promote ourselves in publications aimed at black and minority ethnic people and are pleased that we have seen an increase in the proportion of black and minority ethnic people joining us as trainee solicitor recruits.

Making the commercial legal profession more diverse

In 2008, we started supporting the Sutton Trust's Pathways to Law initiative. The initiative aims to attract fresh talent to the legal profession by targeting state school students who will be the first in their family to attend university and whose parents are in non-professional occupations. We provided work experience to five people through this scheme in 2008 and three in 2009.

In 2008, we supported the first City Solicitors' Education Trust's Summer School, which aims to recruit a wider range of people into the commercial legal profession.

In the same vein, in 2008 we provided three places on our summer vacation scheme to undergraduates involved in the Sponsorship for Educational Opportunities scheme, which is particularly aimed at black and minority ethnic people.

We have worked with Pure Potential and Legal Chances for many years. Both these schemes are designed to increase opportunities for those from minority ethnic and 'non-traditional' backgrounds in City law firms.