Freshfields has got rid of the box on its job application form which requires candidates to disclose their criminal records. It claims to be the first law firm to do so.

The firm made the move in support of the 'Ban the Box' campaign, which claims that employers routinely use evidence of a criminal conviction to discriminate against an applicant. By ditching the tickbox, it says employers like Freshfields will judge ex-offenders based on their skills and abilities, instead of being tempted to write them off because of irrelevant convictions.

They laughed when he said he wanted to be a PDL. But now they're dead, and the interview is going well.

However the firm is not axing its vetting procedure. Candidates will still be asked to disclose their unspent criminal convictions after they've been offered a job, at which point Freshfields will conduct "a rigorous case by case assessment of the nature of their conviction". And presumably let them in if they jumped a red light, but smoothly retract the offer if 'shooting spree' appears on the list.

Freshfields partner Philip Richards said the "excellent" campaign highlighted how businesses can help ex-offenders back into work and away from homelessness and reoffending. A spokesman said the firm's intention was to make clear to ex-offenders that they are "competing on a level playing field, judged primarily on their suitability for the role". He confirmed that Freshfields already employed a "small" number of ex-cons (though none, to date, in legal roles).