National law firm TLT has been recognised in the top 75 employers in the Social Mobility Employer Index 2023, the leading authority on employer best practice, demonstrating the firm’s continued commitment to improving social mobility and accessibility to the legal profession.
The Index was created by the Social Mobility Foundation (SMF) in 2017 and ranks UK employers on the action they take to ensure they are open to and progressing talent from all backgrounds. It highlights the employers who are doing the most to change how they find, recruit, and advance talented employees from different social class backgrounds. Now in its seventh year, the Employer Index is the definitive benchmark of organisations committed to improving social mobility in the workplace.
TLT was ranked 47th in the Social Mobility Employer Index 2023, moving up from 64th in 2022, climbing 17 places. The ranking recognises the firm’s efforts to ensure those from lower socio-economic backgrounds have the ability to succeed. These have included improving accessibility to the legal industry through offering graduate and apprenticeships schemes, as well as targeted outreach with organisations such as Social Mobility Business Partnership and Aspiring Solicitors and working with Rare Recruitment to contextualise grades and achievements of school and college leavers.
TLT’s ranking was based on its investment in social mobility, which saw the firm introduce its first Social Mobility Network in 2022, aimed at improving access to the legal profession and supporting colleagues from low socio-economic backgrounds by fostering an open and inclusive culture. This has, in part, been achieved thanks to TLT’s robust internal advocacy centred on encouraging and involving senior leaders in sharing their personal experiences of social mobility.
The news follows the introduction of several impactful initiatives aimed at improving social mobility, inclusivity and diversity at the firm including setting a target of achieving 35% ethnic minority representation across its early career roles (trainees and apprentices) to be achieved by October 2030.
Sarah Hale, partner and social mobility champion at TLT said: “TLT’s ranking in the Social Mobility Employer Index 2023 is a testament to the efforts the firm, and the Social Mobility Network, have invested in to ensure TLT is seen as the firm of opportunity for everyone regardless of their background and socio-economic status.”
Helen Hodgkinson, chief people officer at TLT commented: “We have entered the Social Mobility Index four years in a row and have improved our ranking each time. To me this means that we are learning, taking on board the feedback from our internal and external advocates to make sure they we are implementing the systems necessary to becoming one of the most inclusive law firms in the country.”
Sarah Atkinson, CEO of the Social Mobility Foundation said: “Congratulations to TLT LLP for reaching the Top 75 employers in this year’s Social Mobility Employer Index, placing 46th. The employers represented in this year’s Index recognise that the workplace is as important as the classroom for improving social mobility. They are doubling down and are rightly continuing to prioritise social mobility as an investment in the talent of the future.”
