08 Oct 2019 | 01:16 pm | 2 min. read
International law firm Pinsent Masons has retained its ranking as one of the top 75 employers in the Social Mobility Employer Index 2019.
The Index assesses UK organisations for their efforts to improve social mobility in the workplace. They are evaluated on criteria including engagement with young people, apprenticeships, recruitment processes and the career paths of individuals from lower income background within the organisation.
Pinsent Masons has been recognised for the launch of its Kirk Murdoch scholarship in conjunction with Law Society of Scotland, which named the first recipient of the scholarship earlier this summer, and for its PRIME work experience programme for school students in areas where social mobility issues are most prevalent.
Deborah McCormack, Head of Early Talent at Pinsent Masons said:
"To be a truly inclusive business, we have a responsibility to understand and embrace all aspects of diversity, including socio-economic. By doing so we build a multi-faceted, innovative and dynamic workforce, representative of our communities and clients. The benefits of diverse talent are widely recognised - better decision-making, appropriate risk assessment and increased profitability are the holy grail of business. By adopting an inclusive approach to recruiting and enabling talent, we underpin the future success of our own business and that of our clients.
"The life circumstances in which some pupils and students find themselves can significantly impact academic achievement. By adopting a contextual approach to recruitment, we are fairly considering applications from all candidates, regardless of their socio-economic background. Providing a level playing field for candidates does not equate to lowering the attainment bar. It simply allows fuller consideration of candidates with a greater understanding of the individual. That has to be the right thing to do."
David Johnston OBE, chief executive of the Social Mobility Foundation, said:
"The quality of submissions this year meant we have increased the size of our Top list from 50 to 75 and it shows the very wide range of organisations trying to make progress on social mobility. Whilst no employer would say they have cracked their social mobility challenge, all of the employers in the Top list - along with those that didn't quite make it - should be congratulated for the efforts they're making to ensure their organisation is open to talent from all class backgrounds."
The Rt Hon Alan Milburn, chair of the Social Mobility Foundation, added:
"Social mobility is becoming a cause for more and more of our country's top employers. When politics is weak, society needs to be strong - so it is welcome a growing number of employers are stepping up to the plate. They recognise the need to open their doors to a wider pool of talent both to address growing public concerns about unfairness and to reap the business benefits from having more diverse workforces. The onus is now on all of our country's top employers to do the same."
125 employers from 18 sectors, who collectively employ over 1.1 million people in the UK, entered the 2019 Index. The submissions were marked using a strict mark scheme and the list of scores benchmarked both within the sector and across different employment sectors.
The pay gap regime applies to all UK businesses which employ more than 250 people. Our annual report outlines data relating to our UK workforce analysing pay gap data from a gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and disability perspective.
Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons is advising Prax Group (Prax), in respect of the proposed acquisition of AIM-listed exploration and production company, Hurricane Energy plc (Hurricane).
Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons has hired partner Eleanor Ludlam to join the firm’s TMT team in London.
Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons has enhanced its employment law capabilities with the appointment of Dublin-based Dierdre Lynch to boost the firm’s multinational employment capabilities.
Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons has advised the shareholders of UMS Consulting GmbH & Co. KG on the sale of their shares to Expleo Group S.A.S.
Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons has advised Eni on its agreement with bp to form a new 50/50 independent company, Azule Energy in Angola.
For all media enquiries, including arranging an interview with one of our spokespeople, please contact the press office on
Location contacts
Europe: [email protected]
Asia: [email protected]
Middle East: [email protected]
Australia: [email protected]