The incoming global head of diversity and inclusion at City giant Herbert Smith has warned that some law firms still need to do much more to create an ‘inclusive culture’.

David Shields, a former director at gay rights organisation Stonewall, said some practices were more concerned about being able to tell clients that they had the right policies in place than making a real drive for improvement.

While at Stonewall, Shields helped to establish the charity’s Equality Index, which identifies the 100 best UK employers for lesbian, gay and bisexual people. Seven law firms made the list in 2011 – the highest number since it was created in 2005.

Shields said: ‘We saw the number of firms in the Equality Index rise quickly, but if you look at the sector overall there is still not 100% coverage in membership and engagement.

‘[Law firms] did feel sexual orientation was a particularly difficult one to deal with – some didn’t feel they needed to [act] as they didn’t believe they had any gay staff.

‘For some, there was an element of "clients are asking and we need to be able to say something", rather than a real drive to push all aspects of diversity.’

Shields, who takes over at Herbert Smith from Carolyn Lee, said there will be renewed focus on social mobility and the retention of women at the firm, as well as plans for apprenticeships and sponsorship schemes for young people from under-privileged backgrounds.

Stephen Ward, the Law Society’s diversity champion, said Shields was ‘an excellent addition to the growing group of professionals helping to build a diverse and inclusive profession’.

He added that the Society was leading and supporting this work through its Diversity and Inclusion Charter, which involves a public commitment by legal services providers to develop and implement best practice.

One-third of private practice solicitors now work in firms that have signed up to the initiative, which was launched last year.

Last week, the Legal Services Board published statutory guidance outlining its requirement for all law firms to publish anonymised data on the diversity of their staff. Shields welcomed the move.

Magic circle firm Linklaters published its own diversity data last week.