Linklaters’ focus on social mobility has been recognised at the seventh annual UK Social Mobility Awards (SOMOs) – the first national awards dedicated to raising awareness of social mobility by sharing the innovative approaches of those working to improve it. The firm received the Silver Award in the ‘Progression Programme’ category and the Bronze Award for ‘Community Programme of the Year’.
The firm’s Silver Award was recognition for its pioneering programme of activities addressing the barriers to progression faced by individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds within legal organisations, specifically focusing on retention and progression. Recognising that no one intervention could close the progression gap identified by research undertaken with the Bridge Group, Linklaters launched an employee-driven Social Mobility Network in 2019 so that, irrespective of their background, talented individuals can reach their full potential at the firm. The Network and the firm have implemented a number of initiatives, including targeted training, sharing stories, a mentoring scheme and an innovative client presentation all aimed at raising awareness.
Linklaters won the Bronze Award for its partnership with Inspiration for All, a pioneering education focused social enterprise, on the Inspiring Partnerships programme. The programme pairs senior Linklaters employees with school leaders from a range of educational institutions for one-to-one mentoring sessions designed to develop leadership capacity and capability. 100% of school leaders who took part reported the programme had a positive impact on their leadership skills and noted the ripple effect of the programme on other staff and students. The programme is aligned with Linklaters’ global social impact theme of Realising Aspirations, evidencing its commitment to facilitating social mobility.
Commenting on the Silver Award, Linklaters Senior Partner Aedamar Comiskey:
“We’re working hard to address the obstacles and ensure that no matter where you grew up or went to school, you can be yourself and progress at Linklaters. I’m very proud of the progress we’re making and delighted to see our efforts recognised with Silver and Bronze Awards at this year’s UK Social Mobility Awards. The progress we’re making is testament to the hard work of many across our firm, in particular our Social Mobility Network, who are doing great things to promote inclusivity both within our firm and the legal sector more broadly.”
Commenting on Inspiration for All’s partnership with Linklaters, Sarah Caton, CEO of Inspiration for All:
“We are delighted to work with Linklaters on the Inspiring Partnerships programme and so proud to be recognised for our work together by the UK Social Mobility Awards. The commitment of senior leaders from across Linklaters has been truly inspiring and has provided much needed support for school leaders serving the most deprived communities, building skills and awareness to advance social mobility together.”
