Fair recruitment toolkit

In this toolkit 'fair recruitment' of trainee solicitors refers to eliminating the barriers people face in employment due to their social background.

Although some progress on diversity in the legal sector has been made with regard to gender and ethnicity, less attention has been given to social background.

This guidance focuses on three ways to minimise the barriers faced by aspiring solicitors from disadvantaged social backgrounds:

• becoming aware of unconscious bias – biases we are unaware of – which can lead to firms missing opportunities to hire the best people
• how to implement a 'blind recruitment' process to recruit trainee solicitors
• contextualising the achievements of applicants in light of their social background.

As well as making an important contribution to a fairer society, there is also a significant business case for improving the fairness of your recruitment, eg attracting and retaining the best candidates, increasing diversity in your workforce encourages innovation, and showing clients and prospective clients you are committed to fairness.

Download the guidance below.