Talent held back

City solicitors from less advantaged socio-economic backgrounds are more likely than their peers to be the highest performers in their firms. Among state school trainees, for example, 14% received the highest review ratings compared to 8% of independently educated trainees. Similarly, 14% of first generation university trainees receive high performance review ratings compared to 10% of their peers. Despite this, however, these solicitors are less likely to advance their careers at an early stage or to be retained by the firm. These are the results of a unique study of 2,800 lawyers and interviews with employees at eight global law firms by the Bridge Group, which promotes socio-economic diversity, and the Sutton Trust.