The majority of law students think their social background will have an impact on their future in law, a new survey has revealed, with almost nine in ten of the belief that their upbringing will have an influence on on their career.

The survey, carried out by Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) and Legal Week, aimed to find out the opinions of law students on two of the most vital issues shaping the future of the legal profession – social diversity and new routes into a career in law.

Eighty-six percent of respondents to the survey said they believed their social background could be a factor on their career prospects, including 36% who said their background will impact their future "to a large degree".

Linked to this, the students questioned were also largely in favour of law firms recruiting with a 'CV blind' policy, with 44% believing this approach could go some way in improving socio-economic diversity, and 23% believing CV blindness would help "very much".

Commenting on the results, Alan Demirkaya (pictured), graduate recruitment and trainee manager at BLP, said: "These results underline the findings of a survey from BLP and Legal Week last year which revealed many students believe that their background will have a detrimental impact on their career.

"Steps such as our implementation of contextual recruitment with Rare, plus other such approaches, can go some way in improving socio-economic diversity. Contextual recruitment will mean we better understand our applicants and their potential, resulting in us hiring talented trainees for our firm regardless of their background. It's encouraging to see that students have faith in these changes."

New routes into a legal career are increasingly in evidence across law firms and this is a trend which the students of today are well aware of – 60% of respondents to the survey believe firms will have a more diverse range of legal roles in the future, including paralegals, legal executives and apprentices.

The importance of diverse skillsets has certainly been recognised recently as the world of law evolves and modernises. The survey reveals that nearly as many law students think soft skills – such as adaptability, team working and time management – should be prioritised by firms as those who believe traditional/mainstream educational qualifications are the most important factors.

Almost two thirds of respondents (65%) also expect to see more non-lawyers taking up management and senior roles in the law firms of the future.

The lawyers of tomorrow recognise that, as law firms evolve, additional commercial and non-legal qualifications are likely to be beneficial. Although the majority of those students surveyed cited they are happy that legal qualifications are all they need (44%), this was closely followed by 35% of students who said they would consider leadership and management qualifications to further their career, as well as 32% who would turn to project and process management qualifications to help them stand out.

Demirkaya added: "With the Legal Services Act and other changes, the legal market is evolving, and the responses to this survey show that students are recognising the increased value of so-called soft skills to further their careers."

This article was commissioned for the Turning Points hub, an online career development resource from Legal Week in association with BLP.