has launched a new social mobility programme, kicking off a 12-month pilot scheme in the North West.
Broadening Horizons, which is designed to support students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, has been formed together with the Social Mobility Business Partnership (SMBP).
Piloted from the firm’s Manchester office, with plans to roll out the programme in other offices from next year, Mills & Reeve will work with three local colleges – Xaverian College, which it has an existing relationship with through its Reach into Schools Programme, as well as Oldham College and Ashton Sixth Form, both of which are in ‘social mobility cold spots’.
Social mobility cold spots are areas across the UK that have been identified as having significantly lower than average social mobility, meaning individuals have limited chances to improve their socioeconomic status compared to their parents or grandparents.
10 lawyers from across the firm will mentor Year 12 students over the course of a year, with Broadening Horizons students joining the SMBP Work Insight & Skills Experience (WISE) Week in July 2026, before completing a week’s work experience at Mills & Reeve in October next year.
Ainslie Wilson-Shearer, head of diversity & inclusion at Mills & Reeve, said: “We’re very proud to be launching Broadening Horizons in the North West. Working with our local communities is a hugely important part of our wider strategy as a firm – this means developing exciting and meaningful initiatives that enable us to form strong bonds, build lasting relationships, and inspire high aspirations.
“As a firm, our aim is to increase representation of people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds across our workforce, with a target of 33% by 2030. Broadening Horizons will be instrumental in driving that ambition and we’re delighted to be working together with SMBP and our three partner colleges to bring this programme to life.”
Andrew Spence is one of 10 mentors from Mills & Reeve who will be taking part in the programme over the next 12 months. Andrew, who is an associate in the firm’s insurance disputes team in Manchester, is extremely passionate about rebalancing the playing field and improving entry into the legal profession for people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
Having grown up in what would now be regarded as a ‘social mobility cold spot’ and spending a short amount of time in the care system, he worked for several years in a number of ‘poorly paid’ roles after leaving school at 16. Andrew became the first member of his family to go into higher education, enrolling on an ‘access to higher education’ course at the age of 27, juggling full-time work with full-time education, before qualifying as a lawyer in 2024.
He said: “My journey into law has undoubtedly helped me become a better lawyer but, on reflection, I would’ve preferred to have qualified 10 years earlier. As a result, I’m keen to help others so that they don’t need to take such a ‘long cut’ as I had to.”
According to statistics from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the proportion of lawyers from lower socioeconomic backgrounds has reduced from 21% in 2015 to 18% in 2023.
Andrew said: “There remains a sense that the legal profession just isn’t for some people. That isn’t right. We need to help young people who haven’t been coached throughout school and/or have friend/family connections to see this as an inspiring profession that is open to everyone. That is why initiatives like this are so important.”
Emily Chan is a trainee at Mills & Reeve in Manchester. She went to a non-selective state school and grew up in a town where the majority of households were classified as ‘deprived’. She commented: “I had little connection to the legal industry growing up. Until I entered the profession, it was difficult to obtain meaningful insights about what it meant to work in a law firm and how to stand out as an applicant for highly competitive roles.
“Schemes like Broadening Horizons provide an opportunity that may not otherwise exist for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. They offer an inclusive space, an important sounding board, and open the door to talented individuals who may otherwise have been prevented from accessing their career of choice.”
Emily added: “Historically, the legal sector has been seen as a profession with high barriers to entry and reserved for those with a more privileged upbringing. While increasingly there is a shift away from this, there is still more to be done and I want to play a role in improving social mobility in our sector.”
