Socio-Legal Studies and the Cultural Practice of Lawyering

Sommerlad, Hilary

doi:10.1007/978-1-137-31463-5_9

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Certain barristers 'take silk' and are known as QCs (Queens Counsel). Becoming a QC was once a matter of nods and winks, an informal 'old boys club' (Sommerlad, 2013), but is now a seemingly independent process which begins with an application by the barrister to QC Appointments. viii The other significant route of progression for barristers is to join the judiciary which, while outside the scope of this paper, has its own challenges in the context of diversity and inclusion (Malleson, 1999 andRackley, 2013).…”

Section: The Bar Of England and Walesmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Prefer not to say’: diversity and diversity reporting at the bar of England & Wales

Vaughan

2016

International Journal of the Legal Profession

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The Bar of England & Wales, like the wider legal profession, does not reflect the society it serves.The current data published by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) suggests a profile in relation to gender and ethnicity that gives serious cause for concern. As regards additional diversity characteristics, the BSB (and others) have accepted that the existing data sets are not wholly reliable because of poor response rates to associated diversity questionnaires. In 2011, the Legal Services Board (LSB) introduced mandatory guidance that obliged its daughter regulators to put into place rules that relate to diversity monitoring and reporting across the legal profession. This paper is concerned with how the BSB has operationalised that statutory guidance in respect of the Bar. Drawing on data gathered from the websites of 160 chambers, I show significant non-compliance with the reporting rule, and question both how the BSB itself reports on diversity data and the drafting of the reporting rule. I ask whether non-compliance is partly a function of the complexity seen in how the BSB has made operational the LSB's reporting requirements. My data also suggests that the BSB should target its enforcement and educational approaches to the reporting rule to small and medium sized chambers.

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Section: The Bar Of England and Walesmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Prefer not to say’: diversity and diversity reporting at the bar of England & Wales

Vaughan

2016

International Journal of the Legal Profession

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“…Sommerlad argues that, for a long time, socio-legal studies have focused on law as a cultural practice and so develops our understanding of the relationship between the law and the social. Such a framework, therefore, applies well to this examination of gendered inequalities among solicitors' (Sommerlad, 2013) because it allows an understanding about the operation of law and legal institutions as embedded in other social processes and institutions (Menkel-Meadow, 2019).…”

Section: Practical Intersectional Socio-legal Research: Law In Actionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards Gender Equality in the Solicitors’ Profession in England and Wales A Practical, Intersectional, Socio-legal Approach

Winstone

2022

Towards Gender Equality in Law

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Over 30 years of initiatives to improve the career progression of women in the solicitors’ profession in England and Wales have failed to achieve gender equality in practice. Equality legislation from the 1970s onwards, has still not translated to equality for women solicitors in retention, progression, partnership and equal pay in private practice. Significant numbers of women have entered the profession and remained at junior levels since the 1970s, outnumbering male entrants since 1992-3 and practising men solicitors since 2017. A gap persists between participation rates for men and women, with the number of women active in the profession reducing with age and experience. This chapter presents a practical, intersectional, socio-legal approach to overcome the barriers faced by many women solicitors, based on current issues identified by practising, non-practising solicitors and left professionals. Practical initiatives are developed to effect meaningful change in practice to maximise opportunities available for all.

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Prefer Not to Say: Diversity and Diversity Reporting at the Bar of England & Wales

Vaughan

2017

SSRN Journal

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The Bar of England & Wales, like the wider legal profession, does not reflect the society it serves. The current data published by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) suggests a profile in relation to gender and ethnicity that gives serious cause for concern. As regards additional diversity characteristics, the BSB (and others) have accepted that the existing data sets are not wholly reliable because of poor response rates to associated diversity questionnaires. In 2011, the Legal Services Board (LSB) introduced mandatory guidance that obliged its daughter regulators to put into place rules that relate to diversity monitoring and reporting across the legal profession. This paper is concerned with how the BSB has operationalised that statutory guidance in respect of the Bar. Drawing on data gathered from the websites of 160 chambers, I show significant non-compliance with the reporting rule, and question both how the BSB itself reports on diversity data and the drafting of the reporting rule. I ask whether non-compliance is partly a function of the complexity seen in how the BSB has made operational the LSB's reporting requirements. My data also suggests that the BSB should target its enforcement and educational approaches to the reporting rule to small and medium sized chambers.

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Socio-Legal Studies and the Cultural Practice of Lawyering

Cited by 3 publications

References 42 publications

‘Prefer not to say’: diversity and diversity reporting at the bar of England & Wales

‘Prefer not to say’: diversity and diversity reporting at the bar of England & Wales

Towards Gender Equality in the Solicitors’ Profession in England and Wales A Practical, Intersectional, Socio-legal Approach

Prefer Not to Say: Diversity and Diversity Reporting at the Bar of England & Wales

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