Culture

Building a culture where our people can thrive

People are at the heart of Forsters. From the quality of service we provide to clients to the positive impact we have on our communities, everything we achieve starts with our people.

We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone can succeed, feel supported and develop a rewarding career. Our culture is built on collaboration, inclusion and opportunity, with a focus on helping individuals thrive both professionally and personally. Through our diversity and inclusion initiatives, wellbeing programmes, professional development opportunities and employee-led networks, we strive to create an environment where every person feels they belong and can achieve their potential.

We know that a great workplace is about more than career progression alone. It is about fostering meaningful connections, supporting wellbeing, celebrating different perspectives and creating opportunities for people to make a difference. Together, these elements help make Forsters a place where talented people choose to join, grow and build their careers.

  • 7

    diversity and inclusion support networks

  • 50%

    of staff participated in L&D initiative

  • 400+

    workshops, lectures and seminars delivered across
    the year by the Knowledge and L&D teams

All data FY25/26

Creating a diverse and inclusive culture

Our aim is to support and encourage diversity within our workforce and to make Forsters a truly inclusive place to work. We strive to improve understanding and communication, break down barriers and encourage and embrace people’s differences so that every individual can flourish.

Our Diversity and Inclusion Committee actively promotes and drives action across the firm, and we have seven employee-led support networks covering disability, faith, gender equality, pride, race, social mobility, and working parents and carers. These networks offer a space for discussion, raising awareness and influencing change through firmwide collaboration.

Our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy supports the firm’s growth and business priorities. Having a diverse and inclusive workforce will mean we are better able to respond to challenges and meet the needs of our clients. We know that attracting and retaining staff is absolutely linked to our culture and how happy and supported people feel at work. We want to ensure that everyone at Forsters feels valued and included.

Take a look at our diversity statistics and our latest Gender pay gap report for more information about representation across the firm.

Our seven employee-led support networks

  • EnABLE (disabilty support)

  • Faith

  • Gender Equality

  • PRIDE (LGBTQ+)

  • Race

  • Social Mobility

  • Working Parents and Carers

Hear from our team

Former Senior Partner Smita Edwards, Graduate Recruitment Partner Emily Holdstock and Graduate Recruitment officer Emma Cooper join Miri Stickland to discuss why diversity and inclusion is so important to Forsters, the preconceptions that applicants may have about the firm and why they should look past them, and initiatives the Graduate Recruitment team are taking to promote diversity.

Listen to the podcast

Social Mobility Employer Index 2025

We have been recognised as a Top 75 Employer for Social Mobility in the Social Mobility Employer Index 2025.

This was our debut application for the Index, which is compiled by the Social Mobility Foundation and is a rigorous benchmarking and assessment tool measuring steps employers are taking to ensure their workplace is open to talent from all social backgrounds.

This ranking reflects the progress we’ve made in growing our social mobility programme and gives us a clear direction for what comes next. We’re committed to building an inclusive, purpose-driven firm where everyone can thrive.

Learn more

Facilitating professional development

At Forsters, we are committed to helping every person achieve their potential. Supporting professional growth is a key part of our culture, and we invest in creating opportunities for our people to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to succeed throughout their careers.

Our Learning and Development (L&D) team delivers a broad programme of training, workshops and development initiatives designed to support people at every stage of their career. From building technical expertise and leadership capabilities to developing wider business skills, our programmes encourage continuous learning and the exchange of knowledge, ideas and perspectives across the firm.

We recognise that development looks different for everyone. Whether someone is starting their career as an apprentice or trainee, progressing into a new role, or taking the next step into senior leadership, we provide tailored support to help them grow. This includes structured development programmes, coaching opportunities and career transition support.

Alongside this, our Knowledge team plays an important role in fostering a learning culture across the firm. By improving how knowledge and information are shared, and by embracing innovative legal technology, the team helps our people work more effectively, collaborate more closely and maintain the high standards our clients expect.

Our commitment to development is reflected in the opportunities available across the firm, from our early careers programmes through to experienced hire and leadership pathways.

Explore opportunities to build your career at Forsters:

Championing wellbeing

We are committed to promoting and protecting the health, safety and welfare of all our people. We want every person at Forsters to have a positive lived day-to-day working experience, with all of us being empowered to manage our wellbeing.

Wellbeing is integral to our distinctively friendly and supportive culture. Working in the legal sector can be hugely rewarding but it can also be demanding. When our people are healthy they are motivated and this will have a positive impact on the effectiveness of our business.

We have a strong firmwide programme of wellbeing-related events, communications, benefits and tools to help when our people need support for their mental, physical and financial wellbeing.

 

Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey 2024-25

In the Legal Cheek Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey 2024-25, we scored A* on Training, Peer Support, Partner Approachability, Work/life Balance, Quality of Work and Social Life.

 

legal cheek infoboxes

legal cheek

Legal 500 Future Lawyers Survey

In 2024, we were named Legal 500 Future Lawyers Winners in three categories; Social Life, Quality of Work and Vacation Scheme.

 

Legal 500 Future Lawyers logo

 

Connecting for positive impact

To read more about our Culture pillar please read our Responsible business review 2024/25

Read the review

Forsters responsible business review 2024/25 front cover

Leading the way

Maryam Oghanna
Maryam Oghanna

Partner, Trust and Estate Disputes | Diversity and Inclusion Committee co-lead

Alfred Liu
Alfred Liu

Partner, Private Client | Diversity and Inclusion Committee co-lead