‘Great Resignation’ Doubled Black Attrition Rate at UK Law Firms

Top legal firms in the UK saw a huge spike in the number of lawyers quitting during the post-pandemic ‘Great Resignation,’ hampering efforts to build a more racially diverse workforce, according to new research.

Twenty-eight companies, including Linklaters LLP, Clifford Chance LLP and Slaughter and May, provided data for the report by the firm Rare Recruitment, which shows that for ethnic minority lawyers in particular, the rate of attrition has almost doubled between 2021 and 2022.

“It’s something we’ve heard again and again from clients – the post Covid ‘Great Resignation,’” said Raphael Mokades, Rare’s founder and managing director. The disproportionately high turnover also explains why the number of ...