Firm says goals come as others scale back D&I efforts
Mishcon de Reya has set a series of new diversity targets to be met by 2027, including for its future trainees.
The London law firm aims for at least 55% of trainee and solicitor apprenticeship applications to come from candidates who identify as minority ethnic, and 40% from socially or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds based on contextual data from Rare. The current figures stand at 57% and 30% respectively.
The new targets also cover gender and ethnicity representation across the wider firm. Mishcon is aiming to have 35% women in its senior equity, up from 28%, and 45% women across the partnership, currently 38%. It is also targeting 20% minority ethnic partners in the UK, up from 16%, and 25% of all UK lawyers from minority ethnic backgrounds, up from 18%.
In addition, the firm has pledged that by 2030 the proportion of women partners in each department will be reflective of the overall partnership. It has also committed to reporting annually on its progress towards these goals. The new targets are set out in its latest annual report.
Mishcon acknowledged that the new targets come shortly after many leading US firms were forced to scale back their D&I programmes and targets following pressure from the Trump administration, which argues that such programmes or targets are discriminatory.
“At a time where equity and diversity practices are being scaled back, we stand firm in our commitment to drive inclusion at every level of our business and to foster a culture that thrives on diversity — this has always been, and continues to be, part of our core values,” the firm said.
Several leading City firms, including Ashurst, Clifford Chance, DLA Piper, Freshfields, Hogan Lovells and Slaughter and May, have announced similar targets in recent years.