Exclusive: Adviser allegedly quoted research and suggested BME candidates submit applications later than their white peers
A law student at the University of Warwick has accused her careers adviser of racism after allegedly suggesting during a seminar that black candidates tend to submit job applications closer to deadlines than their white peers.
The careers adviser is said to have namechecked Linklaters-backed research about unconscious biases, with the firm subsequently telling Legal Cheek that it is “not in a position to comment on how the research was used or presented by Warwick University”.
The university has told us it’s aware of these accusations but to date no complaint has been raised directly with the university.
The student in question, Mariam Abiru, is in her final year of a law degree at Warwick University. In a tweet that’s garnered hundreds of retweets and comments, she began a thread describing an alleged incident that took place at a careers seminar this week:
Still can’t get over what happened yesterday at my @warwickuni careers seminar
— pops (@IkepoAbiru) October 3, 2017
Abiru claims a Warwick careers officer discussed with students the disadvantages of handing in an application close to the deadline. Then, she claims:
She then turns to the only two black girls in the room and says that Linklaters did some research
— pops (@IkepoAbiru) October 3, 2017
into how many days later black candidates hand in the applications compared to the average white candidate, and asks us if we can guess
— pops (@IkepoAbiru) October 3, 2017
Obviously we stare back at her blank faced. She then proceeds to inform us that it is 38 days
— pops (@IkepoAbiru) October 3, 2017
A spokesperson for Linklaters told Legal Cheek:
We are proud of the work we have done to encourage people of all backgrounds to apply for opportunities at the firm but we recognise there is more to do to help improve diversity at Linklaters and across our industry. An important part of our efforts is dedicated to researching and understanding how people of different backgrounds, including ethnicity, experience our recruitment and training process. Where the research highlights differences, such as the timing of when applications are made that may have had an impact on Linklaters’ ability to recruit students, we are able to make improvements to our processes to help remove those barriers. We will continue to make every effort to ensure we recruit and retain the very best talent, regardless of ethnicity or gender. Understanding the often invisible or unconscious biases that people from any minority have to overcome is a vital component of those efforts
The student, who was schooled in Nigeria, also alleges the careers adviser said she’d been told black people are generally laid back. The thread continues:
She then turns to ask me if it is true that black people are generally laid back
— pops (@IkepoAbiru) October 3, 2017
To which I respond asking if she is seriously asking me to speak for all black people
— pops (@IkepoAbiru) October 3, 2017
Later, Abiru says the careers adviser started trying to back track. She then says:
She proceeds to say how she knows that there is prejudice out there and talks about how women of all races experience prejudice
— pops (@IkepoAbiru) October 3, 2017
BUT it is clear that some groups (ie black people) actively disadvantage themselves and as a result it is a double whammy for us
— pops (@IkepoAbiru) October 3, 2017
The whole time I am just sat there in utter disbelief unsure of how to react and thinking how much of a chance do we really have
— pops (@IkepoAbiru) October 3, 2017
This white woman just said unequivocally, (to a class filled with other white people) that black people disadvantage themselves
— pops (@IkepoAbiru) October 3, 2017
Legal Cheek has taken steps to contact the student in question, but these have so far been unsuccessful. We have also reached out to the careers adviser for her response to the allegations, which we hope to publish as soon as possible. Meantime, a spokesperson for Warwick University told us:
The university is aware of reports of concerns about the content of a careers advice session in the university’s school of law. To date no complaint or concern has been raised directly with the university, nor the school of law, and we would encourage any student who has such a concern to make contact as soon as possible with the chair of the school or any other appropriate university officer so we can hear, be fully informed of, and address any such concerns.