Browne Jacobson launches mentoring programme for aspiring Black lawyers
updated on 07 April 2025
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Browne Jacobson LLP recently launched its innovative mentoring programme REACH (Race, Equality and Cultural Heritage), which is aimed at aspiring Black lawyers.
REACH has been designed to address the disproportionate underrepresentation of Black lawyers – currently only 3% of lawyers in the UK are Black and UK Bar Standards Board statistics show that Black students are “less likely” to pass the Bar.
The scheme, which was first piloted in 2022, pairs students with mentors from Browne Jacobson or Bupa, one of its partners, for a six-month period. Mentors share their skills, insights and wisdom to help their mentees gain an understanding of the industry. The programme also includes a two-week paid work placement in one of Browne Jacobson’s UK offices, as well as access to a series of masterclasses and skill-building sessions.
Since the scheme began, the proportion of Black trainees at Browne Jacobson has increased from none in 2016 to 35% in 2023, 35% in 2024 and 45% in 2025. The firm is working on making tangible changes to create a fairer playing field for this demographic by deploying a contextualised recruitment system and a ‘second-look’ policy to gain a deeper understanding of candidates from non-traditional backgrounds. They also partner with charities, non-Russell Group universities and other educational institutions to ensure that the REACH programme properly caters to the needs of Black aspiring lawyers. In 2024, Browne Jacobson topped the Social Mobility Employer Index, marking its third time in the top spot.
Oliver Holmes, head of diversity and inclusion at Browne Jacobson, said: “The legal profession is a notoriously competitive environment when it comes to attracting and retaining the best legal talent around. As such, our strategy’s core objective has been to ensure we have a diverse and engaged talent pipeline from which we can recruit our work experience students, apprentices, legal assistants and, in due course, future junior solicitors.”
Check out our diversity access scheme page to find out more about different schemes on offer. Plus, for more on diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, visit our Diversity hub, sponsored by Gowling WLG (UK) LLP.
