Mishcon de Reya has today been recognised as a Top 75 employer in the Social Mobility Employer Index 2021.
Created by the Social Mobility Foundation in 2017, The Employer Index has become a leading authority on employer best practice in the field of social mobility.
It measures the steps of UK employers to tap into and develop talent from all backgrounds, assessing key areas, including potential routes into the business, how they attract talent, recruitment and selection, and career progression.
This year saw 203 employers who collectively employ 1.35 million people in the UK contribute to the survey.
Mishcon de Reya’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion strategy sets out our commitment to providing equality of opportunity to all, with social mobility one of our key strands of work. This commitment is further reinforced in our Impact aims.
In order to achieve these goals, the Firm has established partnerships with MyKindaFuture, Social Mobility Business Partnership and UpTree to support engagement with a diverse range of students, potential apprentices and graduates.
The Firm also works with Rare Recruitment, has created a legal school-leaver apprenticeship scheme and has several mentoring programmes.
Sarah Atkinson, CEO of the Social Mobility Foundation, said:
“Congratulations to all the businesses who submitted this year – especially the 38 firms who have participated in all five years of the Index. It is encouraging that the extremely challenging circumstances of the pandemic has not deterred these firms from prioritising social mobility. It is right that they have done so. Government cannot go it alone when levelling up; indeed, the Index shows businesses and organisations are leading the way instead. Opportunity creation for the next generation, especially those from less well-off backgrounds, must be prioritised in the years ahead. As ever, we stand ready to support employers of all sizes in their social mobility journey.”
Edward Hughes-Power, a Partner at Mishcon de Reya, added:
“At Mishcon, our mission is to play a crucial and strategic role in unlocking opportunity and driving a level playing field for all young people wishing to enter the legal sector. We are very pleased to be recognised in these rankings but there is still much work to be done in supporting and promoting social mobility within the firm and across the legal sector as a whole. It's vital that we continue to prioritise the removal of barriers that personal background, social identity and socio-economic circumstances create, and work to ensure that everyone has the same opportunities for success.”
View the full Index here.