Diversity continues to grow across the Scottish solicitor profession, according to research by the Law Society of Scotland.<\/p>\n
Data collected as part of solicitors\u2019 annual practising certificate renewal process for 2025\/26 – completed by two thirds of its more than 14,000 members – showed that solicitors from a minority ethnic background increased to 4.36%; compared to 4.01% in 2022\/23.<\/p>\n
The increase was greatest among solicitors aged 30 and under, rising from 5.23% in 2022\/23 to 6.08% in 2025\/26. Nationally, the 2022 Scottish Census shows individuals from a minority background account for 5.51% of the population.<\/p>\n
At least 10% of solicitors reported having a disability, including physical and non-physical conditions.<\/p>\n
Christianity remains the most reported religion among solicitors at 33.88%, down from 35.7% in 2022\/23. Religious affiliation among solicitors appears to reflect wider societal trends, with a steady decline in Christianity and a corresponding increase in those identifying as having no religion.<\/p>\n
Of the solicitor population, 4.94% are LGBTQ+, up from 4.18% in 2022\/23. This compares to 4% in the 2022 Scottish Census.<\/p>\n
A clear age-related pattern is evident in the data, with older respondents more likely to select ‘prefer not to say’ and less likely to select a LGBTQ+ orientation.<\/p>\n
Younger solicitors – aged 20 to 39 – are more likely than older respondents to report indicators of socio-economic disadvantage during childhood, such as receiving free school meals or other means-tested financial support, suggesting that those entering the profession are coming from a wider range of socio-economic backgrounds than previous generations.<\/p>\n
Women make up 59.93% of the Scottish legal profession, based upon survey respondents- and they now outnumber men by around two to one in terms of those entering the profession. However, this trend reverses in older age groups, with a notable shift around age 55, where the proportion of male solicitors rises to 85%.<\/p>\n
Ben Kemp, chief executive of the Law Society of Scotland, said: \u201cIt is encouraging to see our profession increasingly reflect the population that we serve in Scotland – this data not only shows progress in key areas, but helps us identify where further action is needed and the opportunities that are possible for improvement.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, the survey data is only ever one part of the story,\u201d he continued. \u201cWe are keen to learn more about the people and the perspectives that sit behind the information we have captured.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A rising proportion of the profession are from minority backgrounds, female and LGBTQ+<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":278857,"featured_media":7973,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[120902],"coauthors":[137126],"class_list":["post-7971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-legal","tag-featured-story","tag-scotland"],"yoast_head":"\n