‘Magic circle’ law firm, Clifford Chance (CC), has adopted a policy of ‘blind CV’ interviews in a bid to eliminate the so-called ‘Oxbridge bias’. The change, introduced a year ago, means that final assessment interviewers on the firm’s selection process will only be able to see the applicant’s name.

The move was in response to recommendations from the Sutton Trust, which aims to enhance educational equality and improve social mobility. 41 different universities are represented in the pool of 100 successful applicants to the firm, up from 32 the previous year.

The encouraging statistics were met with approval by key figures, including Heather Iqbal-Rayner, chair of the Junior Lawyers Division, who described the scheme as a “trend setter” in The City. She was, however, more sceptical about the wider implications: “I don’t think it’s going to have a big impact on high street firms as they already recruit from a more diverse range of candidates.”

Professor Richard Moorhead, Director of the Centre of Ethics and Law at University College, London, hails this as a “step in the right direction, both on diversity grounds and on merit,” but suggests that “CV blindness may be more impactful at the CV-sifting stage.”

This view is echoed by Sachin Parathalingam, a first-year law student from King’s College: “It is illogical because in the initial stages of the application process, the assessors will see which university you went to, so the bias will still be there.” He added: “any Oxbridge student will appreciate that ability and merit are more important than which university you went to.”

However Louise O’Hara, President of Cambridge University Law Society, welcomed the scheme: “We acknowledge that the Oxbridge bias can be a problem in recruitment, and it is important that firms such as Clifford Chance take positive steps to try and eliminate that bias. This policy seems to be a good way to make the application process fair for everyone involved.”

However, it is not certain that such a scheme will become the universal norm. Professor Moorhead speculates that the policy’s low-key introduction was intended “to see how they feel about the quality of recruits a couple of years in, without committing to the scheme prematurely.” His comment comes as CC’s pre-tax profits for 2012-13 were reported to have dipped by nine per cent.

The ‘blind CV’ approach is one of many ideas the firm is pioneering, following increasing pressure on employers to have a more representative workforce.
According to LegalWeek, the number of pupil barristers who attended Oxbridge increased from 23 per cent in 2009-10 to 35 per cent in 2010-11. 38 per cent of trainees at ‘magic circle’ law firms have an Oxbridge education. One senior CC employee was not concerned where trainees studied: “We’re looking for the gems and they’re not all at the jeweller’s shop.”