We are delighted to be one of the proud sponsors of Birmingham Black Lawyers.
At Browne Jacobson, we have an aspiration to be the most inclusive and diverse law firm in the UK where everyone can thrive and succeed. We know how important it is to have a workforce that is inclusive & diverse to get the best outcomes for our people and clients.
Although there has been a greater focus on Diversity & Inclusion in the Legal sector over the last few years, it’s important to recognise there is still much more to do.
We are committed to creating opportunities that increase the proportion of black and other ethnic minority representation in the marketplace and have recently launched our REACH Mentoring and FAIRE (Fairer Access into Real Experience) programmes to help build a sustainable pipeline of future talent. We are also taking great steps to ensure we are nurturing and building talent from within the Firm. Lasting change will only be achieved when jobs at senior levels are accessible to all – and when the career paths to achieve them are equally accessible.
Only by working together, and in collaboration with organisations such as BBL can we tackle inequality, promote inclusion and build a fairer future for all.
Bridget Tatham
Partner & Exec Sponsor for Race
To learn more about Browne Jacobson LLP please visit their website
Having worked with BBL for many years now, we are delighted to be able to continue our support by being one of their first sponsors.
At Freeths, creating a more accessible and diverse legal sector is at the heart of our diversity outreach initiatives. For us, the first step in doing this is understanding the challenges or barriers faced by minority groups. Freeths have been lucky enough to either work closely with or in partnership with a number of local community groups, networks and outreach programmes such as BBL. These links and partnerships have developed our understanding and have enabled us to work in collaboration on possible solutions. Networking, education, allies, roles models and actively challenging established processes are all key ingredients to creating a more diverse and accessible legal sector. As part of our ongoing programme of events within Freeths, our Black History Month Celebrations in 2020 included a panel discussion about the role of allies, and we were delighted to be joined by Tamina (BBL co-chair) as a guest speaker. We have also recently established our own Black Lawyers Network within Freeths and whilst we know that there is a lot of work still to be done, with the focus of our own network coupled with the enthusiasm, drive and energy of BBL, we are certain that we can help make a difference.
Becky Egan
Senior Diversity Manager
To learn more about Freeths please visit their website
As a group, Gateley was formed with diversity at its core: diversity in the services that we offer to our clients, diversity of approach being the first UK commercial law firm to list, and the diversity of opportunity which we provide to our people.
We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce where everyone has room to breathe. Our five community groups create a sense of belonging and a culture where everyone can be their authentic selves in Gateley. These internal communities create a safe space where people can support and learn from each other and celebrate our differences. This is why we are delighted to be supporting Birmingham Black Lawyers which brings people together with shared experiences and backgrounds, and different perspectives.
As an organisation we are committed to ensuring that we always have an inclusive culture within our own business and that, through the diversity and inclusion services which we offer, we support our clients in creating environments where belonging and inclusivity drives collective success.
Rebecca Sherwin
Partner & Head of Birmingham office
To learn more about Gateley please visit their website
We are proud to be sponsors of Birmingham Black Lawyers and to continue to work with BBL to help promote and embrace diversity in the legal profession.
Diversity is a word that means different things to different people — and that’s the point, different people. At Gowling WLG we celebrate the diversity of our people — different backgrounds; different cultures; different experiences; different interests; different ages and different needs. We want to create a workplace where our people can be themselves, celebrating the fact that we’re all individuals. We are committed to attracting and retaining talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds.
We have focused on increasing representation of black talent with our Black Lives Matter Action Plan in 2020, and our new Race Action Plan in 2024. Our Black Talent in Law bursary programme with the University of Birmingham launched in 2021 and we have participated in LegalCORE to come together with other firms to address key issues. We’ve seen positive change but there is more to be done.
Our employee networks support us in achieving our DE&I ambitions. Our ethnicity network is called EmbRACE and provides our people with a safe space by championing inclusion and celebrating diversity at work, and in the community and challenging the firm on workplace matters that are important to our people. We know we can’t do this alone and it’s by working with organisations like BBL that we can continue to pave the way for creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace and culture.
To learn more about GOWLING WLG please visit their website
We are immensely proud to be Gold sponsors of Birmingham Black Lawyers. The success of our Chambers has been largely built upon our commitment to equality and diversity over many decades.
Internally it has enabled us to create a culturally diverse and inclusive business. Externally we have been able to show case that a genuine commitment to equality where everyone applying to join No5 or engaging our services as a client is treated equally regardless of ethnicity and gender. This is the key ingredient to our success.
We were the first and only set of Chambers to sponsor Black Lawyers Directory dating back to the mid-2000s when it was launched, and entering into a mentoring scheme to support black lawyers.
We wore the BLD badge as we now wear the BBL badge with huge pride not because it has now become fashionable to do so, but because it is in our DNA and has formed our direction of travel over many decades.
Much has been achieved over recent years to shine a light on inequalities within the legal profession but there is still a long way to go and there is no room for complacency.
No5 is not an organisation to simply wear the badge, our sponsorship is a further step in our efforts to ensure that we do all we can to support Birmingham Black Lawyers in all it aims to achieve.
Tony McDaid
Chief Executive & Director of Clerking
To learn more about No5 please visit their website
Our work on equality, diversity and inclusion is important to us and we are pleased to be working with Birmingham Black Lawyers as you support and develop your members and assist them in their career aspirations. The SRA regulates 180,000 solicitors in England and Wales and more than 10,000 legal businesses. We are here to make sure the public can have trust and confidence that solicitors meet high professional standards, while also making it easier for them to find affordable legal services that suit their needs.
Our vision is for a modern, open legal market with a diverse, strong, effective and independent legal profession providing high quality legal services internationally and to the UK commercial market, as well as to the public.
We are committed to working to promote diversity at every level in the profession, making sure that everyone can reach their full potential. Not only is that good for individuals, but also for firms and of course for the people who use legal services. Black lawyers make up 3% of lawyers in law firms and this reflects the workforce in England, Scotland and Wales in 2018 (3%). Black lawyers are underrepresented in mid to large size firms (those with six or more partners) so we know there is more for us all to do.
The Solicitors Qualifying Examination opens on 1 September 2021. This will ensure high consistent standards, supporting the brightest and best from every background to join the profession, regardless of the training route they take. We also share best practice in firms and organisations to help to create the kind of inclusive working environment that enables people to reach the top in whatever type of work they choose to do.
To learn more about Solicitors Regulation Authority please visit their website
Weightmans’ official sponsorship of Birmingham Black Lawyers is an acknowledgment both of our belief that BBL’s mission to improve diversity and inclusion aligns with our own and that lip service isn’t enough, and that by actively supporting such endeavors is what is required for there to be real change in the future.
As an organisation with strong aspirations to become a national top 30 law firm, it’s important that we embody this mission by taking on our role as leaders within the industry. This means actively understanding and tackling the challenges our people face, such as the barriers that prevent black and other ethnic minorities from succeeding and reaching their full potential in the legal profession.
Birmingham Black Lawyers’ ongoing work with its membership and legal leaders, to integrate young aspiring lawyers into the networks of some of the city’s biggest legal environments, helps tackle some of these challenges at a grassroots level, but there is still work to do. Only by working together can we positively impact the lives of our people – enabling them to see the possibility of a better future for everyone.
In January 2024, Weightmans was recognised as a Top Employer in the UK for the 17 th time – ranked in the top ten – in part due to our excellent people practices and ED&I policies.
To learn more about Weightmans please visit their website