Social Mobility at Mewburn Ellis

At Mewburn Ellis, social mobility is about widening access to education, professional careers and opportunities so that people can succeed based on talent and potential, rather than background or circumstance.

Through a long‑term, joined‑up approach to inclusive recruitment, workplace culture and community investment, we aim to reduce structural and socio‑economic barriers and support fairer participation in work and society. This work sits within our Forward Community Programme, through which we donate 1% of profits annually and support charities aligned with access, inclusion and opportunity.

1% of profits donated annually

£1.3m+ donated since 2020

Multi‑year charity partnerships

Community day for every employee

Why social mobility matters

Limited social mobility is closely linked to poorer educational outcomes, reduced employment opportunities and lower participation in professional and technical careers.

As a professional services firm, supporting social mobility is also about the future of our profession: attracting and developing talent from the widest possible pool, strengthening diversity of thought, and ensuring careers in IP, science and innovation are open to people from all backgrounds.

Our approach

Our approach to social mobility is broad and long‑term, recognising that access and opportunity are shaped by multiple, interconnected factors. Across our work, this focuses on:

Opening access to STEM education and careers

A core strand of our social mobility impact is our sustained support for young people in science and technology, recognising that early exposure is critical to widening access to professional careers, including IP.

Mewburn Ellis partners with the British Science Association to support the CREST Awards, enabling students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to take part in hands‑on science projects to do so free of charge, with funding for materials and resources.

Alongside this, we host school groups at our offices for discovery days, giving students exposure to a professional environment and practical insight into intellectual property and its role in innovation, research and business.

Together, these programmes are explicitly aimed at broadening participation in STEM, which underpins longer‑term social mobility into scientific, technical and professional careers.

Education, skills and access to opportunity

Beyond STEM, we support charities focused on literacy, education and employability, recognising these as foundational to social mobility.

Our partnerships with organisations such as the National Literacy Trust, Speakers for Schools, The Social Mobility Foundation, The 93% Foundation and the Pennington School address a wide range of barriers to opportunity, from literacy and communication skills, to confidence‑building, access to professional role models and networks, and the development of practical skills.

Together, these partnerships reinforce our commitment to tackling the educational and informational barriers that can limit progression into education, employment and professional careers.

Supporting people facing socio‑economic disadvantage

We recognise that access alone is not enough. For social mobility to be meaningful, people must have opportunities to develop skills, confidence and experience that support long‑term participation and progression.

A number of our charity partnerships focus on addressing the practical barriers that restrict participation in education, work and society.

We support organisations such as FoodCycle, Cambridge City Foodbank, The Trussell Trust and FareShare, which address food insecurity, a well‑recognised barrier to educational attainment and stable employment. We also support charities including The Booth Centre and Shelter From The Storm, which work with people experiencing homelessness, helping to stabilise circumstances that are often a prerequisite for employment and progression.

In addition, we support organisations such as Springboard Opportunity Group, which works with children with disabilities and additional needs to enable access to learning, development and social participation.

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Women, health and participation in education and work

Social mobility is closely linked to inclusion and belonging. Our support for women‑focused charities contributes directly to social mobility by addressing barriers that disproportionately affect women’s ability to remain in education or employment.

This includes partnerships with organisations such as Forgotten Women, which supports women affected by poverty, conflict and injustice through access to education, healthcare and livelihood opportunities, and Mothers for Mothers, which provides maternal mental health support, reducing barriers to participation in work and education following childbirth.

We also support WISSP (Women in STEM Solving Problems), funding menstrual health provision and skills training for refugee girls. This work directly protects school attendance and long‑term educational outcomes, recognising the link between health, dignity and access to education.

Long‑term, place‑based community investment

Our social mobility impact is reinforced through sustained, local investment, shaped by our people.

Each Mewburn Ellis office selects local charities for multi‑year support, focusing on organisations embedded in their communities and responding to local disadvantage. This ensures our investment reflects the needs of the places where we operate.

Alongside financial support, every colleague is given a community day each year, enabling direct engagement with local charities. This strengthens relationships, deepens understanding and ensures our community investment is grounded in long‑term partnership rather than one‑off intervention.

Responsibility and accountability

We see social mobility as a long‑term responsibility, not a one‑off programme. Our approach is embedded in how we lead the firm, how we invest in our communities, and how we measure and reflect on progress over time.

Creating an inclusive culture is one of our six core values and is driven from the highest level of the firm. Our Inclusion & Diversity work is led by Rob Andrews, Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer, supported by an Inclusion & Diversity Collaboration Group that brings colleagues together to help shape and deliver our strategy. Our Management Board has made public commitments to inclusion and has signed the IP Inclusive Senior Leaders’ Pledge, reinforcing clear ownership and accountability for inclusive leadership.

We also engage beyond our own organisation to help drive progress across the profession through our support for IP Inclusive and AIPLA, our partnership with the General Counsel for Diversity & Inclusion (GCD&I), and initiatives such as the Menopause Workplace Pledge. This work is championed internally by Fran Salisbury, Women’s Champion, alongside firmwide initiatives including our Women’s Committee and Men’s Health Committee.

Progress is supported through transparency and evidence. Since 2021, we have published annual Inclusion & Diversity updates as part of our Sustainable Communities reporting. Our approach has been recognised through Great Place To Work™ Certification and inclusion on the UK’s Best Workplaces™, Best Workplaces™ for Women, and Best Workplaces™ for Development lists. In our most recent Great Place To Work™ survey, 79% of colleagues said Mewburn Ellis is a great place to work, with high fairness scores across race, gender and sexual orientation.