Labour Research December 2002

Law Matters

Legal elitism

A report by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, commissioned and funded by The Law Society, finds that the top law firms target their recruitment at favoured old universities and, in particular, at Oxford and Cambridge. These firms regularly visit these elite universities offering funding through sponsorships, books and hosting social gatherings. The report concludes that young people from privileged social backgrounds benefit from greater access to information about a career in the law.