LS Article Davies March 17.pdf (954.9 kB)
Educational background and access to legal academia
The focus of this article is upon educational background of academic lawyers in England and Wales and the extent to which qualifications from certain institutions may be seen as acting as a proxy for social class. In recent years higher educational background and socio-economic background have been significant topics of research relating to entry to the legal professions and judiciary in England and Wales. There is a relative absence of such research relating to academic lawyers. The research discussed in this article aims to close that gap. The article argues that critiques relating to the elite nature of the traditional legal professions in terms of educational background have parallels within the academic legal community, evidenced by a dominance of those educated at Cambridge, Oxford and other Russell Group institutions, with relatively lower proportions of graduates from other sectors, most notably the post-1992 universities. The article further argues that economic hurdles to entry to an academic legal career are significantly higher than those for other law related careers, potentially exacerbating issues of socio-economic exclusion. The conclusion drawn is that law schools should engage proactively with measures to expand opportunities for entrants into the academic legal community from candidates from a much wider range of educational backgrounds.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
Legal StudiesISSN
0261-3875Publisher
WileyExternal DOI
Issue
1Volume
38Page range
120-146Department affiliated with
- Law Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2017-07-12First Open Access (FOA) Date
2020-03-13First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2017-07-12Usage metrics
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