Akin Gump Ranked Among Leading Firms for Social Mobility in UK
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(London) – Akin Gump is proud to share that it has entered the top 75, having been ranked 62nd, on the Social Mobility Employer Index 2022, recognizing Akin Gump’s continuing commitment to improving social mobility.
In its sixth year, the Social Mobility Employer Index is the definitive benchmark of organizations committed to improving social mobility in the U.K.
This year saw 149 employers take part from 25 sectors. The index, created by the Social Mobility Foundation, assess employers across seven key areas—work with young people; routes into the organization; attraction of staff; recruitment and selection; data collection; progression of staff; experienced hires and advocacy—and highlights those employers doing the most to change how they find, recruit and develop talented employees from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
Counsel and London social mobility firmwide resource group representative Matthew Durward-Thomas said: “It is fantastic for Akin Gump to feature in the top 75 employers ranking for the first time in the Social Mobility Employer Index. The ranking is in recognition of our real commitment to, and significant efforts in, broadening access to Akin Gump and the wider legal profession. Our firm is keen to extend opportunities to those that wouldn’t otherwise get them, not only through initiatives with the Social Mobility Foundation and others, but also in how we recruit the next generation of Akin Gump lawyers. Without diversity in the candidates we recruit, you don’t have diversity of thought, which is essential in a profession that requires collaboration, creativity and professional excellence.”
Earlier this year, Mr. Durward-Thomas penned a blog posting titled “Getting Ahead in the City,” which offered a perspective of working in the City when one is from a different background and provided insight into Akin Gump’s work with the Social Mobility Foundation.
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
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