To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve racial and gender diversity within the legal profession.
Answered on
24 November 2020
The legal profession in England and Wales is independent of Government. Statutory responsibility for encouraging an independent, strong, diverse and effective legal profession sits with the approved regulators and the oversight regulator, the Legal Services Board (LSB).
The Ministry of Justice remains committed to encouraging the sector to ensure it properly represents the diverse society it serves.
In 2017 the LSB published guidance for legal services regulators for encouraging a diverse workforce. In January 2020, the LSB produced a summary of progress of regulators against four diversity outcomes, which highlighted important progress but also acknowledged the need for further action.