Slight increase in barrister diversity for 2020: report
09-02-2021
02-06-2020
Diversity amongst barristers is increasing but still falls short of fully representing the society it serves, according to the latest Bar Standard Board (BSB) annual diversity report.
The Diversity at the Bar 2020 report from the London-based regulator showed slight improvements on the number of practising minority ethnic and female barristers year-on-year.
The proportion of practising barristers from minority ethnic groups has increased to 14.1%, a gradual increase of 0.5% year-on-year from 2019. This proportion was larger than the estimated 13.3% of minority ethnic groups in the UK’s working-age population.
The majority of this 14.1% figure comprises Asian/Asian British barristers who make up 7.5% of the total, up 0.3% from 2019. The 7.5% figure represents a slightly larger proportion of Asian/Asian British barristers than in the working population (5.6%).