Regulator encourages leading firms to collect information in preparation for its second diversity survey

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has called on more of the UK's largest law firms to get involved in its efforts to collate comprehensive diversity statistics following the publication of a major report on the make-up of the legal profession.

The regulator last month published its first report, 'Diversity in the legal profession: workforce data for solicitors firms 2012′, on the back of the Legal Services Board's (LSB's) controversial plans to force law firms and barristers' chambers to publish internal diversity and social mobility statistics on their websites.

The initiative is part of the LSB's push to open up the profession to prospective lawyers from non-traditional backgrounds. The body hopes that by making the information – which is collated by approved regulators such as the SRA – available to clients, pressure will be placed on firms to further improve access to the profession.

In 2011, shortly after the LSB announced that it will make such reporting compulsory as of December 2012, Linklaters became one of the first major UK law firms to publish comprehensive diversity data on its website.

The SRA is now encouraging more firms to start collecting diversity data in preparation for its second survey of the profession.

Unlike last year when the SRA carried out its survey on behalf of the profession, this year firms regulated by the SRA will be required to collect, report and publish a summary of their workforce data on their website or company report.

SRA director of inclusion Mehrunnisa Lalani (pictured) said: "We are hoping for a better response rate this year, particularly among the larger firms that have already been publishing their data – like Clifford Chance and Linklaters. Firms should take responsibility for this – they know their workforce better than we do. 

"We are positive there is support for the scheme, but it takes a long time for firms to get comfortable about publishing this data. We have been encouraging firms to communicate better with their staff about why they need to be open about this and create a more diverse atmosphere."

More than 9,400 law firms participated in the first survey, which together have a total of more than 220,000 people working for them. 

The response rate per firm was an average of 42%, with 93,074 individuals completing the survey, covering a broad mix of solicitors, barristers, legal executives, support staff and IT, finance and accounting professionals.

The report found that 62% of people who responded to the survey attended university, while a further 30% did not, with the remaining 8% opting not to respond. Only 10% of people described themselves as coming from black or minority ethnic backgrounds, while 93% described themselves as heterosexual. 

Lalani added that the SRA hopes that in the next three to five years key trends in the legal sector will be identified, highlighting potential career barriers that can then be addressed. 

Law firms will be able to start reporting data online in the summer, with the deadline to submit data to the SRA set for 31 January next year.