Slaughter and May ranked 19th in 2023 Social Mobility Employer Index

Slaughter and May has been named as a Top 75 Employer in the Social Mobility Employer Index, which is an annual benchmarking and assessment tool for employers that are improving socio-economic diversity.

Complied by the leading authority on employer best practice, the Social Mobility Foundation, the Index highlights the top UK employers who are taking action to ensure they are open to and progressing talent from all backgrounds.

The ranking recognises the impact of the work that Slaughter and May has delivered over the past year through actions to support students from lower socio-economic backgrounds gain access to the legal profession. This includes supporting over one hundred 16-18-year-olds with tutoring and work insights. The firm has also worked with a further one hundred undergraduates through the upReach Law Springboard Programme. The programme focuses on career development with mentoring and work experience and offers 10 individuals direct financial aid through the Slaughter and May Scholarship Scheme. Coupled with targeted recruitment activity these programmes ensure that the firm has access to the best available talent, from a diverse range of backgrounds.

To help people progress once at Slaughter and May, the firm runs a number of mentoring schemes, and this year became a founding member of the 93% Professionals Club which looks to connect stated-educated professionals across the UK. The firm also has a dedicated social mobility employee network, SoMo, to celebrate and champion socio-economic diversity at the firm.

Uzma Hamid-Dizier, Director of Responsible Business at Slaughter and May, says: “We know that a lower socio-economic background can be a barrier to entering and succeeding in the legal sector, which is why social mobility is extremely important to us. We are thrilled to recognised in the Social Mobility Employer Index for the sixth consecutive year and are committed to doing more as a firm to improve access to the profession.”

Sarah Atkinson, CEO of the Social Mobility Foundation, comments: “Congratulations to Slaughter and May for reaching the Top 75 employers in this year’s Social Mobility Employer Index, placing 19th. They have entered every year since 2017. The employers represented in this year’s Index recognise that the workplace is as important as the classroom for improving social mobility. They are doubling down and are rightly continuing to prioritise social mobility as an investment in the talent of the future.”

The ranking follows the firm’s announcement of its social mobility targets and action plan in July, which aim to increase the representation of lower socio-economic background individuals at the firm from 18% to 25% by 2033.

You can download our full 2023 Social Mobility report here.