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Social mobility in the legal profession

07 July 2023 / Susanna McGibbon
Issue: 8032 / Categories: Opinion , Career focus , Profession , Diversity
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Government lawyers must reflect the society they serve: Susanna McGibbon explains how this can be achieved by integrating principles of fairness & inclusion at every stage

I firmly believe that anyone, regardless of socio-economic background, should be able to forge a rewarding career in the legal profession.

Overcoming hurdles

As the second female Treasury Solicitor and Permanent Secretary to the Government Legal Department (GLD), one of my key aims is that we create an environment where everyone feels able to be themselves, uninhibited by their background. It is particularly crucial that as civil servants, government lawyers are representative of the society we serve. I believe we achieve this by integrating principles of fairness and inclusion into everything we do—from recruitment to training and career development.

I hope that our ambition to become a truly national organisation will also play an important role in this agenda. I want those joining GLD to have access to all the career opportunities available from whichever location they are based. No longer will

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Sports, education and charities practice welcomes senior associate

Ellisons—Carla Jones

Ellisons—Carla Jones

Partner and head of commercial litigation joins in Chelmsford

Freeths—Louise Mahon

Freeths—Louise Mahon

Firm strengthens Glasgow corporate practice with partner hire

NEWS
One in five in-house lawyers suffer ‘high’ or ‘severe’ work-related stress, according to a report by global legal body, the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)
The Legal Ombudsman’s (LeO’s) plea for a budget increase has been rejected by the Law Society and accepted only ‘with reluctance’ by conveyancers
Overcrowded prisons, mental health hospitals and immigration centres are failing to meet international and domestic human rights standards, the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) has warned
Two speedier and more streamlined qualification routes have been launched for probate and conveyancing professionals
Workplace stress was a contributing factor in almost one in eight cases before the employment tribunal last year, indicating its endemic grip on the UK workplace
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