WORKFORCE COMPOSITION
WORKFORCE COMPOSITION
WORKFORCE COMPOSITION
Data statement
The workforce diversity data is taken using a snapshot of all employees based in the UK and under contract with WBD on the 31st of the month (which covers the period 1 April until 31 March).
Please interpret proportions based on small populations (<22.5) with caution.
Protected characteristic proportions (%) are calculated including those who did share their information (including answer category 'prefer not to say') and those for whom we did not receive any information.
The diversity statistics in this report relate to our UK Equity Partner and Employee populations. Selection of 'Prefer not to say' and non-sharing of information, i.e., 'Information not provided', are included in the statistics therefore percentages represent the proportion of the entire population.
The Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) data tool uses data that is based on responses only (including 'prefer not to say'). We have recalculated our firm-wide percentages to exclude the "information not provided" to allow for a like-for-like comparison between our diversity data and the SRA datasets that uses responses only.
Our colleagues are split into three major occupational groupings:
We report on data pertaining to colleagues' legal sex (female/male), rather than their gender (e.g. man/woman/non-binary/prefer to self-describe) as WBD currently holds a 100% data sharing rate for this protected characteristic. We recognise that sex does not equate with gender and that gender is not binary, and despite already collecting data on gender we aspire to enhance our data collection first so we can report on these in the future.
We aggregate all colleagues who identified as being from an ethnicity other than white into the grouping 'minoritised ethnic'. It should be noted that we do not currently have a category for white minority/other white backgrounds in our system, so colleagues who identify as being from a minoritised white background may have identified as ‘other ethnicity’, which has been included in the grouping ‘minoritised ethnic backgrounds’ or may have identified as white and be included in the white grouping.
We recognise the limitations of an assumption that minority ethnic colleagues are a homogenous group, but as we hold more granular ethnicity categories on our HR systems, we aspire to perform further in-depth analysis and reporting in future.
We are conscious of the limitations of our data regarding disability, for which we believe data sharing rates are low when comparing to national statistics and therefore do not represent all our colleagues with a disability or who are neurodivergent.
Total firmwide figures
Age
Age Group
16-24
2026
25-34
2026
35-44
2026
45-54
2026
55-64
2026
65 and over
2026
Sex
Female
2026
Male
2026
Ethnicity
For comparison when excluding 'Information not provided': Minoritised ethnic 9.5%; White 88.6%; Prefer not to say 1.9%.
Minoritised ethnic
2026
White
2026
Prefer not to say
2026
Information not provided
2026
Disability
For comparison when excluding 'Information not provided': Disabled 10.9%; No disability 85.1%; Prefer not to say 3.9%.
Disabled
2026
No disability
2026
Prefer not to say
2026
Information not provided
2026
Sexual orientation
For comparison when excluding 'Information not provided': LGBTQ+ 6.3%; Heterosexual/straight 89.3%; Prefer not to say 4.5%.
LGBTQ+
2026
Heterosexual / straight
2026
Prefer not to say
2026
Information not provided
2026
Social mobility - Type of school attended between 11-16
For comparison when excluding 'Information not provided': State-run or state-funded school 77.6%; UK independent/fee paying school 13.4%; Attended school outside the UK 5.9%; I don't know 1.0%; Prefer not to say 2.1%.
State-run or state-funded school
2026
UK independent/ fee-paying school
2026
Attended school outside the UK
2026
Other
0.0%
2026
I don't know
2026
Prefer not to say
2026
Information not provided
2026
Social mobility – Socio-economic background
(based on parental occupation at the age of 14)
For comparison when excluding 'Information not provided': Professional background 48.4%; Intermediate background 12.1%; Working class background 32.1%; Other 4.2%; Prefer not to say 3.2%.
Professional background
2026
Intermediate background
2026
Working class background
2026
Other
2026
Prefer not to say
2026
Information not provided
2026
Partner Composition 2024-2026
Average age (years)
All Partners
years
2026
years
2025
years
2024
Sex
Female Partners
2026
2025
2024
Ethnicity
All Partners from minoritised ethnic background
2026
2025
2024
Disability
All Partners who shared they have a disability
2026
2025
2024
Sexual orientation
All Partners who identify as LGBTQ+
2026
2025
2024
Social mobility - Type of school attended between 11-16
All Partners who attended state-run or state-funded school
2026
2025
2024
Promotion into partnership, 2024-2026
Female
2026
2025
2024
Male
2026
2025
2024
Senior leaders (Board and Support Directors)
Female
2026
2025
2024
Male
2026
2025
2024
Sex
The firm’s sex representation has remained consistent between 2024 and 2026, with women continuing to make up the majority of the workforce. In 2026, female representation stood at 65.8%, broadly in line with previous years, while male representation accounted for 34.2%, reflecting a stable overall profile.
Representation varies across major occupational groupings. Females continue to be well represented and make up the majority of Business Professionals (72.6%) across the period. Fee Earners also continue to be female majority (68.1% in 2026).
At Partner level, female representation has remained broadly stable at around 32% across all three years (around 24% at equity partner level only), providing a solid platform for us to continue our work toward gender equality at senior levels.
Looking forward, over 2026/27, we will continue to prioritise initiatives focused on progression, retention and leadership pathways, supporting further improvement in gender equality, especially at senior levels.
Headcount by job role and sex (%)
Ethnicity
Our data shows encouraging progress in ethnic diversity across the firm, with the strongest improvements at firm wide and fee earner levels.
Firm wide representation of colleagues from minoritised ethnic backgrounds increased steadily from 6.0% in 2024 to 8.6% in 2026, supported by improved data sharing rates. Amongst Fee Earners representation rose from 8.3% to 11.8%, while Business Professionals have seen steady increases, contributing to a stronger and more diverse talent pipeline.
At Partner level, progress has been more variable, with representation declining to 2.1% in 2026 following growth in the previous year (year on year proportional changes should be interpreted with caution due to low headcount). Our continued emphasis on targeted progression initiatives and succession planning through an ethnicity lens will support longer term improvement at senior levels.
Headcount by job role and ethnicity (%)
Disability
Disability data sharing increased steadily across the firm between 2024 and 2026, with firm wide representation rising from 8.8% to 9.8%. This positive upward trend, alongside a reduction in “information not provided”, reflects growing engagement with diversity data collection and strengthens confidence in the insights available to inform targeted action.
Representation increased across all major occupational groupings. At Partner level, those who shared having a disability rose gradually from 7.1% to 7.9%. Fee Earners recorded the largest year on year increase in sharing a disability, reaching 9.3% in 2026, while Business Professionals continue to report the highest representation at 11.0%. Levels of “prefer not to say” responses remain broadly stable.
Over 2026/27, the firm will build on this progress by continuing to encourage data sharing, and embedding inclusive leadership and accessible ways of working to support progression and retention.
Headcount by job role and disability (%)
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation data sharing increased steadily between 2024 and 2026, with firm wide LGBTQ+ representation rising from 4.1% to 5.6%. This upward trend suggests growing confidence among colleagues to share their sexual orientation and reflects continued progress in fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace culture.
Data completeness has improved across all major occupational groupings, with “information not provided” decreasing from 15.2% to 10.0% firm wide. The most notable improvement is among Fee Earners, where missing data reduced from 21.4% to 14.2%, strengthening confidence in the reliability of the insights available.
LGBTQ+ representation has increased among Fee Earners (6.7%) and Business Professionals (5.2%). At Partner level, representation declined slightly to 2.9%, (reflecting a nominal reduction over the period).
Overall, the data highlights encouraging progress alongside a clear opportunity to strengthen senior representation. The firm will continue to embed inclusive leadership behaviours and support LGBTQ+ networks and initiatives, ensuring colleagues feel safe, valued and able to thrive authentically at work.
Headcount by job role and sexual orientation (%)
Social Mobility – Type of school attended between the ages 11-16
The firm continues to make positive progress in social mobility, with an increasing proportion of colleagues reporting attendance at state run or state funded schools. Firm wide representation rose from 63.9% in 2024 to 68.0% in 2026, reflecting continued success in attracting and retaining talent from a broad range of socio-economic backgrounds.
Business Professionals remain the group with the highest proportion of state educated employees (75.6%), followed by Fee Earners (63.6%). At Partner level, colleagues from state educated backgrounds continue to form the majority (57.9%), providing a solid foundation for further progress in the area of social mobility. Representation from UK independent schools (33.6%) remains more prevalent at Partner level.
Improved data completeness, with “information not provided” falling to 12.4%, strengthens confidence in these insights and reflects growing engagement with sharing social mobility information.
Overall, the data highlights encouraging momentum in socio economic diversity. Over 2026/27, the firm will continue to build on this progress by improving data completeness, embedding inclusive recruitment and progression practices, and supporting advancement into senior roles for colleagues from all socio-economic backgrounds.
Type of school attended between 11-16
Social Mobility – Occupation main household earner at age 14
The question “What was the occupation of your main household earner when you were aged about 14?” was introduced into the firm’s HR system in June 2024. Since then, data sharing rates have increased gradually. While overall completeness remains below the firm’s 60% threshold for fully robust analysis, the data available already provides useful indicative insights into colleagues’ social backgrounds.
In 2026, 16.7% of colleagues firm wide identified as coming from a working class background, with a further 6.3% reporting intermediate occupations (e.g., clerical worker, small business owner), highlighting the presence of meaningful socio-economic diversity across the firm. Representation of colleagues coming from a working class background is highest among Business Professionals (21.0%), followed by Fee Earners (14.9%), while Partners show lower reported representation at senior levels (8.6%).
Data gaps remain, with 47.9% firm wide recorded as “information not provided”, particularly among longer tenured colleagues. This presents a clear opportunity for continued engagement.
Overall, the data affirms a diverse socio economic profile within the firm. In 2026/27, focus will be placed on improving data completeness, particularly among colleagues with longer tenure, alongside strengthening inclusive progression pathways to support greater representation at senior levels over time.
Data for 2024 and 2025 is missing as this social-mobility question was introduced in June 2024 (post 2024 snapshot) and data sharing rates were still too low to be meaningful in 2025.
Occupation main household earner at age 14
