Squire Patton Boggs has been ranked 9th in this year’s Social Mobility Employer Index, up from 15th place in 2021, underlining the firm’s commitment to social mobility.
The index, created by UK charity the Social Mobility Foundation in 2017, is an annual benchmarking tool for organisations looking to understand how they are performing on social mobility and where they can improve. This year, 149 business and public sector organisations entered the index, the authority on employer-led social mobility, and they were assessed across seven areas: their work with young people, routes into the employer, the attraction of staff, recruitment and selection, data collection, progression of staff and experienced hires and advocacy.
Partner Rob Elvin, who leads the firm’s Social Mobility Resource Group, commented: “We have been active in social mobility initiatives for over a decade, and recognise that our support is needed now more than ever before.
“The cost-of-living crisis is making it even harder for young people from diverse and low socioeconomic backgrounds to achieve the careers they deserve. Through the recommendations and advice of the Social Mobility Foundation, we have continued to develop training, mentoring and work experience opportunities and we have introduced an apprenticeship scheme offering an alternative route into law. It is only through sustained effort that we will bring about positive change.”
Measures taken by the firm to improve social mobility include continuing to partner with the Sutton Trust on its Pathways to Law programme and the Social Mobility Business Partnership, providing work placement schemes, mentoring and skills workshops through our Accelerate outreach programme. We have appointed lawyers as local champions to partner with schools and colleges, providing meaningful interventions to young people in key areas of disadvantage, and university undergraduates to support application readiness.
The firm’s Social Mobility Impact Report for 2021/2022 is available here.
For further information about the index please visit the Social Mobility Foundation website.