Nearly three-quarters of senior judges and 71% of top QCs are privately educated, according to analysis by the Sutton Trust.

The proportion for judges has barely changed since the 1980s, despite the fact that only about 7% of the population attend fee-paying schools.

The ratio among partners in the so-called magic circle City law firms is slightly lower, with 52% state school-educated and 48% private. Within the legal sector as a whole, about 32% of partners in solicitors’ firms are privately educated.

The Sutton Trust’s survey defined top QCs as those ranked in the top 100 by the legal directory Chambers UK; senior judges are those who sit in the high court or court of appeal.

Comparable figures from 1989 recorded that 76% of senior judges were privately educated. The latest Sutton Trust survey found that this has fallen marginally to 74%.



The survey also found that 74% of senior judges, 78% of top QCs and 55% of solicitor partners in magic circle firms went to Oxford or Cambridge University.



The Sutton Trust was established in 1997 with the aim of improving social mobility through education.

Sir Peter Lampl, the chairman of the trust and the Education Endowment Foundation, said: “Today’s findings, in particular the worrying fact that the high proportion of privately educated judges has barely changed since the 1980s, warns us that there is still a big social mobility problem within the legal sector.

“Irrespective of background, bright young people need to be able to achieve his or her potential and access jobs in law if that is their chosen profession. Enabling greater access to a wider pool of diverse talent will deliver real benefits for employers and employees alike.”



An alliance of 89 law firms and legal departments across the UK, known as Prime, has made a commitment to broaden access to the legal profession.

David Morley, the chairman of Prime and a senior partner at Allen & Overy, said: “The work carried out under programmes like Prime and Pathways to Law has started a process of change in the legal sector’s approach to opening up access to the profession, but it is clear we are only at the beginning of the journey.

“The research shows that a large part of the responsibility for solving this issue lies with law firms, so we need to ensure they attack the problem with the energy and enthusiasm it deserves.”

