Research commissioned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has identified multiple factors explaining why candidates from certain ethnic groups perform better than others in professional legal assessments
The study, by the University of Exeter and published this week, uncovered: discrimination and bias in education settings; decreased access to work experience opportunities in law firms; lack of ethnic diversity among academic staff, resulting in classroom bias; students’ sense of belonging; funding issues; and lack of role models.
Paul Philip, SRA chief executive, said: ‘This is a wakeup call for the legal and education sectors.’