Charity behind annual index calls on more employers to ‘step up their game’
The legal profession continues to feature prominently in an annual powerlist recognising businesses’ efforts to improve social mobility, with law firms claiming 30 of the top 75 spots.
The annual index, produced by the Social Mobility Foundation — a charity that helps high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds access leading universities and careers — assesses organisations’ performance across eight key areas of employer-led social mobility.
The assessment looks at how effectively organisations reach and support young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, remove barriers in recruitment, and promote fair pay, progression, and retention through inclusive workplace practices.
Taking the top spot for the second consecutive year is national law firm Browne Jacobson, followed closely by Magic Circle giant Linklaters and Leeds-based firm Clarion in third and fourth place respectively. Other firms in the top 10 include Addleshaw Goddard (5th), Osborne Clarke (7th), Norton Rose Fulbright (8th), and DLA Piper (10th).
Sarah Atkinson, chief executive of the Social Mobility Foundation, said: “Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. Too many young people are being held back from reaching their potential because of their background. That’s unfair for them, and in a country facing a skills shortage, it’s bad for all of us.”
“We need more employers to step up their game, enter the Index, and take action to improve social mobility,” she continued. “And we need the government to follow the lead of this year’s forward-thinking entrants and make all large employers report socioeconomic data for their workforces.”
Further down the list, Slaughter and May ranked 11th, with fellow Magic Circle firm Freshfields in 14th, just ahead of Weightmans in 15th. Elsewhere, Clyde & Co (19th), CMS (26th), Eversheds (27th), BCLP (=28th), and Simmons & Simmons (=28th) all secured places in the top 30.
Social Mobility Index 2025: Top 75 rankings
| Rank | Organisation |
|---|---|
| 1 | Browne Jacobson |
| 2 | Severn Trent |
| 3 | Linklaters |
| 4 | Clarion Solicitors |
| =5 | Addleshaw Goddard LLP |
| =5 | KPMG UK |
| 7 | Osborne Clarke |
| =8 | National Grid |
| =8 | Norton Rose Fulbright |
| 10 | DLA Piper |
| =11 | Grant Thornton UK LLP |
| =11 | Slaughter and May |
| =11 | The British Land Company plc |
| 14 | Freshfields |
| 15 | Weightmans |
| 16 | Phoenix Group |
| 17 | Co-op |
| 18 | HSBC UK |
| =19 | Clyde & Co |
| =19 | Network Rail |
| 21 | Autotrader |
| 22 | Mace |
| 23 | PwC UK |
| =24 | City of London Corporation |
| =24 | Deloitte UK LLP |
| 26 | CMS |
| 27 | Eversheds Sutherland |
| =28 | BCLP |
| =28 | Simmons & Simmons |
| 30 | NHS Business Services Authority |
| 31 | RPC |
| =32 | Ashurst |
| =32 | Mears Group |
| 34 | Hogan Lovells |
| 35 | Ministry of Justice |
| 36 | bp plc |
| =37 | DWF |
| =37 | Ernst and Young (EY) |
| =37 | OC&C Strategy Consultants |
| 40 | Lloyds Banking Group |
| =41 | Aviva |
| =41 | Charles Russell Speechlys |
| =41 | Impellam Group |
| 44 | Moore Kingston Smith |
| 45 | Stephenson Harwood |
| 46 | Citypress |
| 47 | Savills (UK) Limited |
| 48 | Travers Smith |
| 49 | EY Foundation |
| 50 | Lewis Silkin |
| 51 | Pinsent Masons |
| 52 | The Hill Group |
| 53 | BDO |
| =54 | Farrer & Co |
| =54 | Forsters |
| 56 | Schroders |
| =57 | Hymans Robertson |
| =57 | Michelmores |
| =59 | Clarke Willmott |
| =59 | UK Power Networks |
| 61 | Ampa Group |
| =62 | Amentum |
| =62 | Lloyd’s |
| =62 | Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) |
| 65 | Newcastle Building Society |
| =66 | Department for Energy Security & Net Zero |
| =66 | Janus Henderson Investors |
| 68 | Santander |
| 69 | Sodexo |
| 70 | PA Consulting |
| =71 | Foot Anstey |
| =71 | Historic England |
| 73 | Chaucer Group |
| 74 | Magic Breakfast |
| 75 | BBC |
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