How Diverse is the Legal Profession?
On 11 July 2024, The Judicial Diversity Forum (JDF), chaired by the Judial Appointments Commission (JAC), published the annual Diversity of the Judiciary combined statistics report for 2023-24.
The report sets out data about the diversity of the legal professions in England and Wales, including solicitors, barristers, and judges.
As at 1 April 2024, there were 17,674 barristers, 168,478 solicitors, and 8,216 Chartered Legal Executives registered to practise in England and Wales.
Key statistics from the report include:
Women are well represented in the legal professions. 40% of barristers, 53% of solicitors, 77% of Chartered Legal Executives, and 43% of all judges were women. Female candidates represented 49% of those that applied for jobs as judges, and 53% of those that got the job. Over half (57%) of all magistrates were female.
Ethnic minority representation is increasing. Since 2014, the ethnic minority proportion of barristers increased from 13% to 17%, of solicitors from 15% to 19%, of Chartered Legal Executives from 5% to 11%, and from 7% to 11% for all judges. Ethnic minorities made up 13% of all magistrates.
More solicitors apply for jobs as judges than barristers, but (proportionally) more barristers are successful in their applications. Solicitors constituted more than half of applicants (52%) and barristers less than a third (29%), but only 32% of solicitor-applicants were successful compared to 40% of barrister applicants.
In terms of age, 40% of barristers, 30% of solicitors and 39% of Chartered Legal Executives were aged 50 or over.
Disabled lawyers made up 11% of those that apply for jobs as judges, but only 9% of those that were successful.
74% of applications for jobs as judges, and 71% of those that were successful, had a state-school education. 99% of applicants attended university.
More information is available in the report, and its accompanying guide.