All five magic circle firms have pledged to use Rare's contextual recruitment system (CRS) aimed at boosting social mobility.

Macfarlanes, Norton Rose Fulbright and Travers Smith have also committed to use the recruitment tool.

Rare's CRS allows law firms to see candidates GCSE and A-level results in the context of the average performance of their school.

Aspects of personal and economic disadvantage are also flagged in a way that is not too intrusive for potential recruits who may be reluctant to share the details.

The candidate's name, race, gender or personal contact details are also kept hidden from firms.

All of the firms have plans to fully integrate the CRS into their own application systems ahead of the 2015-16 graduate recruitment season, which kicks off at the beginning of October.

Ashurst, Herbert Smith Freehills, Baker & McKenzie and Hogan Lovells have already signed up to the system.

Speaking to Legal Week, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer's graduate recruitment and disputes partner Andrew Austin (pictured) said the CRS was part of a "wider approach to making sure we get the best talent".

He added: "We have long since accepted that we can recruit talent from different universities not just the Russell Group. I think that the CRS will improve the quality and rigour of our decision making.

"I think we need to get away from the idea that success equates just to how many A*s you get; we also want street smart and resilient candidates."

Simon Branigan, Linklaters graduate recruitment partner, said the firm valued "impressive, non-academic achievements".

He added: "Use of contextual data will also help our efforts and ensure that we have as complete a picture as possible when we're recruiting so that we can really identify top talent."

Laura King, global head of people and talent at Clifford Chance, said the firm – which sponsored the original research that led to the creation of Rare's recruitment tool – was "committed to hiring the best talent irrespective of background".

However, legal diversity specialists have suggested that these initiatives are only as good as the person conducting the final interview and that public school students may come across as more polished.

In response to this, Austin argued that candidates are assessed against specific competencies, such as commercial awareness, which focus on substance over polish.

"We are not looking for people who have memorised Financial Times stories. We don't want them to point out just their expertise of the subject matter. We are looking for a general interest in the world of business."

Freshfields partner for social mobility Annette Byron, who sits on the firm's graduate interview panel, added: "The CRS is one way of working to get those with the best talent and potential into the profession."

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