The rule of law depends on every person being treated equally
within our justice system, the Law Society of England and Wales
said today following the government’s commitment to tackling
racial inequality in the Criminal Justice System.
“The Law Society is committed – alongside dedicated practitioners
who work in criminal justice – to supporting the government in
improving the system in the public interest and to ensure all are
equal in the eyes of the law," said Law Society president Joe
Egan.
"We recognise the importance of a legal profession – at all
levels – that reflects the population it serves. The Law Society
has made great strides in increasing diversity in the solicitor
profession so that today the proportion of solicitors from BAME
backgrounds – at 14.1% – closely mirrors the general population.
"At more senior levels however, we have a lot of work to do
before we can say with any confidence we or the judiciary
demonstrate diversity.”
The Law Society has a number of initiatives to encourage people
from diverse backgrounds to join the solicitor profession and to
aim for judicial roles. We are helping firms adopt fair
recruitment and development procedures, and supporting them to
recognise unconscious bias."
Joe Egan added: "Criminal defence solicitors are uniquely placed
to ensure defendants from minority ethnic backgrounds are treated
fairly. They have a duty always to act in their client's best
interests.
“We will work with government and other branches of the criminal
justice system to ensure all defendants are aware their solicitor
is completely independent of the police or other criminal justice
agencies.
“It is our responsibility to ensure clients understand their
solicitor’s efforts are entirely directed to achieving the best
possible result for their client within the law and in the
circumstances of the case.”
Criminal legal aid solicitors are critical for ensuring anyone
accused of wrongdoing has a fair trial. But the viability of
firms doing criminal defence work is under threat as remuneration
rates for criminal legal aid work have not been increased since
1998.
Joe Egan concluded: "Criminal justice is at the heart of a
democratic society and underpins the rule of law."
