Magic Circle player sets new target
Magic Circle law firm Freshfields is now one of only a handful of City outfits to publicly establish a diversity target for its future trainee intakes.
The outfit today confirmed that it will aim to recruit at least 20% of trainees from “lower socio-economic backgrounds” across the 2024-2026 recruitment cycles.
The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2025 shows Freshfields is one of the largest trainee recruiters in the City with an annual training contract offering of around 80.
London managing partner Mark Sansom said:
“I am proud of our commitment to continually advance our social mobility priorities, ensuring that everyone at the firm now or in the future has access to the opportunities and support necessary to excel. Setting a social mobility-focused recruitment target is an essential step in expanding access to the legal profession and strengthens the sense of belonging among our future trainees and current employees.”
A number of City firms have upped their efforts in recent years to improve diversity across their junior ranks. Firms such as A&O Shearman, Ashurst, Linklaters, and Simmons & Simmons have implemented targets for recruiting ethnic minority and Black trainees, while others, including the London office of Ropes & Gray, have developed work experience programmes aimed at aspiring lawyers from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
Last summer Legal Cheek reported that Slaughter and May was looking to increase the proportion of its lawyers from lower-social economic backgrounds to 15% by 2033.