All news
Black Talent in the Legal Profession: Tackling Barriers and Creating Pathways

Black Talent in the Legal Profession: Tackling Barriers and Creating Pathways

The Wealth of Nations and Black Talent - Anthropy 2023

‍

The Black Talent Charter and the Supreme Court hosted a stella event in November to discuss 'Black Talent in the Legal Profession: Tackling Barriers and Creating Pathways'. Court 2 was packed, with over 100 more participating online.

A compelling speech by Lord Reed (President of the Supreme Court) was followed by a panel moderated by our CEO, Laura Durrant, and comprising our Chair, Harry Matovu KC, Lord Leggatt (Justice of the Supreme Court), I. Stephanie Boyce (Past President of the Law Society) and Elaine Banton (Co-Chair of the Bar Council Equality, Diversity and Social Mobility Committee).

The discussion covered:

  • The urgent need to accelerate work on the recruitment and progression of Black talent across the legal profession and the judiciary
  • The competition for talent and the risk to the legal profession from more fast-moving and diverse sectors
  • The barriers to progression for Black lawyers, and how best to meet those challenges.
  • The responsibility of senior leaders to drive change individually and collectively

As one of our other signatories said:

“The intellectual capacity in the room was astonishing… I have attended a number of events like this from the standpoint of an ally and none have got anywhere near this in terms of education and promoting awareness.”

You can watch the entire panel event here: Black Talent in the Legal Profession: Tackling Barriers and Creating Pathways (youtube.com)

Written by

Maddy Durrant
Programme Management and Communications Director
March 20, 2024

The Parker Review 2024 - BTC Analysis

The findings of the Parker Review show that we are moving in the right direction when it comes to representation of ethnic minorities at a senior level. But it also highlights some clear imbalances that require urgent focus and effort.
February 6, 2024

UK financial and professional services falling behind on Black representation

Research from the Black Talent Charter in collaboration with Bain & Company (2023), has shown that, despite ongoing efforts to diversify, the highest-paid sectors of British business remain white dominated professions.
January 24, 2024

Barclays joins the Black Talent Charter

We're delighted to announce that Barclays UK is the latest Signatory to join the Black Talent Charter. We are looking forward to working with Barclays to further champion the advancement and support of Black talent within British business.
November 17, 2023

The Wealth of Nations and Black Talent - Anthropy 2023

At the start of November, the Black Talent Charter was invited to the national leadership conference, Anthropy, at the Eden Project in Cornwall...
November 15, 2023

We need an answer to the disillusionment of Black talent

Across every business sector, our Black talent drains away at mid levels, disappearing into alternative career paths and sectors. At corporate D&I events, the phrase ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’ is often repeated as a rationale for...