Equality & Diversity Policy

We are committed to eliminating unlawful discrimination and to promoting equality, diversity and inclusivity within our policies, practices and procedures.  We aim to encourage, value and manage diversity, are committed to equality for all our staff members, including potential staff members, and aim for all staff members to feel valued and included within the firm.  These principles of equality of opportunity, non-discrimination and inclusivity also apply to our professional dealings with clients and others.  

We treat everyone equally and with the same attention, courtesy and respect regardless of:  

• sex (including pregnancy, maternity and paternity); 
• marital or civil partnership status; 
• gender reassignment; 
• sexual orientation;  
• race or racial group (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins);  
• religion or belief;  
• age (or perceived age);  
• caring responsibility; or  
• disability (past or present). 

We take all reasonable steps to ensure that the firm and its staff do not unlawfully discriminate under:  

• the Equality Act 2010; 
• the Employment Rights Act 1996;  
• the Human Rights Act 1998;  
• the Part-Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000;  
• the Fixed-Term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000;  
• the Work and Families Act 2006; 
• the Gender Recognition Act 2004; 
• the Civil Partnership Act 2004; and 
• any other relevant legislation in force from time to time relating to discrimination in employment and the provision of goods, facilities or services. 

Our firm is particularly concerned that the principles of equality of opportunity, non-discrimination and inclusivity are maintained in the following areas: 

• existing staff members;  
• progression including promotion and transfers; 
• performance management, learning and development including appraisals and training opportunities; 
• contributions to business development and opportunities to provide new services; 
• terms of employment, benefits, facilities and services; 
• grievance and disciplinary; 
• dress code; 
• work allocation; 
• dismissals, resignations and redundancies; 
• job applicants; 
• recruitment and selection; 
• clients and access to our services; and 
• engagement with third parties including suppliers and experts. 

All staff are expected to pay due regard to the provisions of this policy and their obligations in the SRA’s Standards and Regulations and have personal responsibility for ensuring compliance with them when undertaking their jobs or representing our firm and which extends to their treatment of job applicants, existing or former employees, clients, external suppliers and/or visitors. 

Discrimination 

Discrimination may occur in a number of forms. The more common forms of discrimination are as follows: 

• Direct discrimination: where someone is treated less favourably than another person because they are thought to have a protected characteristic (discrimination by perception) or because they associate with someone with who has a protected characteristic (discrimination by association); 
• Dual discrimination: where someone is treated less favourably because of more than one protected characteristic; 
• Discrimination arising from a disability: where a person with a disability is treated unfairly because of something arising in consequence of a disability and that this treatment cannot be justified as a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim; 
• Indirect discrimination: where the same rule is imposed on everyone, but which has the effect of excluding one group of people or putting them at a disadvantage because they cannot comply with the rule or only a proportion of the group could comply; 
• Victimisation: where a person is subjected to a detriment because they have asserted their right not to be discriminated against because of a protected characteristic; and 
• Harassment: where there is unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic, which has the purpose or effect of violating an individual's dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that individual. 

Staff members & job applicants  

We will appoint, train, develop, reward and promote staff members on the basis of merit and ability. 

We treat all job applicants equally and fairly and do not unlawfully discriminate against them.  We do this by ensuring that we operate an open and fair recruitment process, using selection criteria which does not discriminate, and making fair and lawful decisions.  In particular: 

• assumptions that only certain types of persons will be able to perform certain roles will not be made; 
• individual job applicants will be assessed according to their individual qualities and personal merit; 
• qualifications or criteria including the requirement for the use of years of experience which may have the effect of inhibiting applicants will only be retained where they can be objectively justified;  
• age limits which may have the effect of inhibiting applicants will generally not be permitted unless there is a particular objective justification for their requirement; and 
• where any criteria for recruitment and selection may have the effect of putting a person with a disability at a substantial disadvantage due to their disability, reasonable adjustments may need to be made to eliminate or reduce the disadvantage. 

We consider all staff members to be equal and aim to create a working environment which is free from unlawful discrimination.  This applies equally to voluntary positions and anyone undertaking work experience with us.  This will, for example, include arrangements for employment, recruitment and selection, terms and conditions of employment, progression, access to training opportunities, conditions of service, access to promotion and transfers, grievance and disciplinary processes, dress code, work allocation and any other employment related activities.  In particular: 

• our policies and procedures for performance management, learning and development are developed and reviewed so as to ensure that they are not discriminatory and do not normally result in an imbalance in treatment between staff members; 
• terms of employment, pay, benefits, facilities and services available to staff members are reviewed regularly so as to ensure that they are provided in a way which is not discriminatory;  
• qualifications or criteria for promotion, appraisal, transfer and training, such as length of service or years of experience which may discriminate against certain staff members will only be permitted where they can be objectively justified; and
• where any criteria for promotion, appraisal, transfer or training or the provision of terms of employment, pay, benefits, facilities and services may have the effect of putting a person with a disability at a substantial disadvantage due to their disability, reasonable adjustments may need to be made to eliminate or reduce the disadvantage. 

We aim to ensure that all staff members feel included and supported, as a valued member of our firm, so they are able to work to the best of their ability. Inclusivity can take a number of forms, although we aim to ensure all staff members have the opportunity and are encouraged to: 

• understand our firm’s purpose and values, so they feel they can buy into our wider purpose and aims; 
• understand how they can play a part in achieving our wider organisational goals; 
• contribute ideas towards our business development and new business opportunities; 
• raise suggestions to our firm’s management, in the knowledge that these will be respected, valued and afforded an appropriate level of consideration; 
• identify different ways to operate that may improve efficiency, productivity and/or staff wellbeing; 
• notify us of any hidden disabilities or conditions, such as neurodivergence, that may impact upon their ability to work in the same ways or at the same levels of productivity or efficiency as other staff members. This may enable us to identify and implement any required reasonable adjustments; 
• participate in staff networks or employee assistance programmes, as outlined in our Corporate Social Responsibility Policy; and 
• look out for and report signs of inequality, discrimination and/or exclusion, so these may be addressed by the firm as promptly as possible. 

We aim to maintain an environment in which our staff feel comfortable to raise any concerns they may have and in which they can be confident that such concerns will be dealt with fairly, openly and effectively. 

Where a staff member feels excluded within our firm, we will seek to rectify this and improve our inclusivity by: 

• encouraging them to talk openly with another staff member whom they trust and believe will respect their feelings; 
• demonstrating how their work is important to the firm; and 
• establishing if their feelings of exclusion have a specific founding, such as within a particular team, their work or the wider firm as a whole. 

Clients and access to services 

Wherever possible, we take steps to promote equal opportunity and non-discrimination in relation to access to the legal services that we provide, taking account of the diversity of the communities that we serve, to ensure that, subject to funding or other reasonable constraints, our services are accessible to all clients. 

We are committed to meeting the diverse needs of clients.  We take steps to identify the needs of clients in the community and we document in our Business Plan and within our quality procedures how we will meet clients’ needs and how we will ensure the services which we provide are accessible to all. 

We aim to make information about our services available to all members of the public and potential clients. 

We consider the needs of clients with a disability and clients who are unable to communicate effectively in English.  In particular, we consider the need to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that clients with a disability, vulnerability or particular need are not placed at a substantial disadvantage and do not pass on the costs of adjustments to these clients.  We consider whether particular groups are predominant within our client base and, where possible, ensure that their needs are met.  Where a client is unable to communicate effectively in English, either where this is not the client’s first language or where they suffer from a hearing or speech impediment, and they require the services of an interpreter, the selection of any translator should be considered in accordance with our Use of External Suppliers Procedure. 

Experts & Third Parties 

We do not unlawfully discriminate in dealings with experts and third parties.  All experts and third parties are instructed from Central Registers of Approved Experts and Counsel and have been assessed by the firm as being capable of meeting both our firm’s and our clients’ requirements.  Experts and third parties are instructed because they satisfy our selection criteria in accordance with our Use of External Suppliers Procedure. 

Monitoring Diversity & Collating Equality Data 

We monitor and record, at least annually, equality and diversity information about job applicants on the basis of gender, marital status, age, disability, religion and ethnic groups.  We ask job applicants if they would be willing to complete our Equality & Diversity Monitoring Form noting that they have the right to refuse to do so or to choose only to answer selected questions at their own discretion. 

We monitor and record equality and diversity information about existing staff members including key personnel on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, ethnic groups as well as other questions based upon the staff member’s social and educational background, as requested by the SRA.  We ask staff members to complete the SRA’s diversity monitoring form as recommended and updated by the SRA from time to time, noting that staff members have the right to refuse to do so or to choose only to answer selected questions at their own discretion.  The data is collated and submitted to the SRA as and when required, usually bi-annually.  Diversity data collated for the purposes of the SRA’s bi-annual collection exercise is, where appropriate and where this does not lead to staff members being identifiable, published by our firm in accordance with the SRA’s requirements.  The method of publication remains at our discretion, but may include: 

• a poster in our office reception and/or meeting room(s); 
• an article in our internal or external newsletter; and 
• a page on our website, linked directly from our homepage. 

In addition to the monitoring undertaken as set out above, we also annually monitor the number of staff members of different genders, disabilities, ages and ethnic groups by grade when: 

• already employed in a particular post;
• applying for a post; 
• taking up training and development opportunities; 
• promoted; 
• transferred; 
• disciplined and dismissed; and
• leaving employment. 

All monitoring data will be reviewed by Sarah Langley and they will be responsible for consideration of whether any remedial action should be implemented where any equality and diversity issues including any under-representation of any protected characteristic groups, are identified.  In such cases, the firm may seek professional advice from an employment specialist and/or the Equalities and Human Rights Commission in relation to the appropriate remedial action to be taken.  It is recognised that such remedial action could include the identification of specific training needs and/or the taking of positive action to increase employee diversity. 

Implementation and Review 

James Nelson, who is our COLP, is responsible for implementing and monitoring our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Policy.  They are responsible for: 

• ensuring that adequate resources are available to meet equality and diversity needs; 
• providing equality & diversity information to the Legal Aid Agency as required in relation to staff and clients under the terms of the LAA Contracts; 
• reporting to the Partners on compliance; 
• collating and reporting diversity data to the Solicitors Regulation Authority as and when required and, where applicable, overseeing the publication of such data; 
• promoting a culture of equality, diversity and inclusion awareness and compliance by means of education, training and overseeing arrangements for the sharing of information on equality, diversity and inclusion.  This may include informing staff of any new updates on equality, diversity and inclusion including bulletins or articles published by regulators and/or in the legal press; 
• assisting any individual staff members who have been assigned responsibility for any specific equality, diversity and inclusion actions;  
• considering whether clients have any vulnerabilities which may, in accordance with our Vulnerable Clients Policy, require us to take additional care and/or make reasonable adjustments to ensure that we meet their needs and provide our services in a manner in which facilitates their ability to make informed decisions; 
• where appropriate, ensuring that all staff are included in business development planning and are encouraged to contribute ideas, knowing these are valued by the management of the firm, regarding our firm’s services and new business opportunities, including trialling how we may operate differently to improve efficiency, productivity and/or staff wellbeing; 
• ensuring that appropriate action is taken in relation to any non-compliance identified under this policy or barriers to equal opportunities; and 
• reviewing this policy annually to verify it is in effective operation. 

Equality & Diversity Training 

Our equality, diversity and inclusion training and communication objectives are reviewed at least annually and detailed in our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Training and Communication Plan. 

All staff members are informed of this policy as part of their induction.  

We ensure that all managers and supervisors with responsibility for any of the areas of particular concern as set out above are provided with appropriate equality, diversity and inclusion training and/or written instructions, where necessary, which may be updated as required.  

Other staff members may also be required to attend training on compliance with equality, diversity and inclusion requirements. We identify additional equality, diversity and inclusion training needs as and when appropriate and address them as part of staff members’ training plans.  

Non-compliance 

We treat seriously all complaints of unlawful discrimination made by any staff, clients, barristers, experts or other third parties and will take action where appropriate.  

Any staff member who believes that they may have been unfairly discriminated against are invited to raise a grievance in accordance with our Grievance Procedure.  Staff members will not be victimised for raising a grievance in good faith.  Grievances will be dealt with seriously in accordance with our Grievance Procedure and the complainant will be informed of the outcome. 

Where a staff member believes that a client or other third party has been unfairly discriminated against, or our non-compliance with this policy may result in a danger or illegality that may be of public interest, they may wish to raise their concerns as a protected disclosure in accordance with our Whistleblowing Policy. 

Other complainants of unlawful discrimination including job applicants, clients and other third parties are invited to raise a formal complaint which will be handled in accordance with our Complaints Handling procedure. 

Where acts of unlawful discrimination, harassment or victimisation and/or failure to comply with this policy by any staff member are identified, Sarah Langley will ensure that our Disciplinary Procedure is followed and this may result in disciplinary proceedings being instigated. 

We also monitor the number and outcome of complaints of discrimination.