The Law Society and Bar Council have called for further action on career progression alongside recognition of Black lawyers’ contributions to the profession and the communities they serve. Their comments point to disparities between representation among entrants and those reaching senior positions.
Figures drawn from a Solicitors Regulation Authority report published in March show that Black solicitors hold 1% of partner roles at firms with 50 or more partners. Across senior solicitor roles, 14% are held by people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups.
By comparison, those groups account for 20% of practising certificate holders. Black solicitors make up 3% of those who disclosed their ethnicity, providing a further indication of the gap between their representation in the profession and at its largest firms’ partnership level.
This year’s Black History Month theme, Honouring Our Communities, celebrates Black solicitors’ leadership, service and impact within the profession and beyond it.
Outgoing Law Society president Mark Evans acknowledged that, despite progress, more work remained.
“Many Black solicitors have helped open doors for those who followed them, often navigating barriers while creating opportunities for others,” he said. “Their contribution is woven into the story of our profession and the communities it serves.”
The Society highlighted its Ethnic Solicitors Network as a forum for solicitors from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds to share perspectives and raise issues affecting the legal industry.
“Creating a profession where talent can thrive regardless of background remains a priority, and we all have a role to play in making that ambition a reality,” Evans added.
Bar Council chair Kirsty Brimelow KC also linked the month’s celebrations to the need for improvements in progression.
“Black History Month is a time to celebrate the excellent contribution that Black barristers have made, and continue to make, to our profession and to the administration of justice.
“Black barristers make up 5.7% of pupils but 3.9% of non-KCs and just 1.2% of KCs. This compares with 5.5% of the UK working age population. The proportion of Black/Black British barristers at the Bar has increased by around 0.5 percentage points since 2016 and by 0.1pp when compared to December 2024.
“The data tells a stark story of progress being made but slowly,” she added.
Brimelow’s comments follow criticism by her predecessor, Barbara Mills KC, now Baroness Mills KC, of low rates of judicial appointments for Black barristers.
“As well as focusing on access to the profession, work needs to be done to ensure equal access to quality work, progression opportunities and an environment free from discrimination,” Brimelow said, adding that the Bar Council supported chambers, organisations and individuals.
“As Chair of the Bar, I want us not simply to open the door, but to ensure that everyone who comes through it has an equal opportunity to thrive, to lead and to reach the very top of the profession,” she concluded.
Judicial diversity is another area of concern. In May, the Bar Council and Law Society joined a new Judicial and Legal Diversity Board, whose remit includes mentoring for Black and minority ethnic lawyers. At its launch, Evans warned that a diverse pool of applicants “is still not resulting in fair representation” in judicial appointments.
Mentoring and community work also featured in the Global Legal Post’s Women and Diversity in Law Awards in April. Mellissa Akinya won Diversity Champion of the Year – In-house Lawyer for her work with the Government Legal Department and Black Lawyers Circle, which she founded. Her award citation credited the Circle with providing upskilling and mentoring to more than 2,000 aspiring and practising lawyers.
Nexus Chambers criminal barrister Ife Thompson was named Rising Star – Barrister. Before her call, she founded BLAM UK, a Black British cultural education and wellness group.
In a prosecution concerning a tweet, she successfully argued that the CPS had failed to consider the cultural and linguistic context of Black British English.
The case concerned a 22-year-old Black university graduate and raised concerns under the Equality Act 2010 about the treatment of language in criminal proceedings.
Nominations for the Women and Diversity in Law Awards 2027 are open until 16th October 2026
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