Equality & Diversity
We believe that there is an obligation on the Bar to promote not only access to justice but also fairness within the profession itself. We seek to operate in a fair and inclusive way in order to achieve the Bar Council’s stated vision of “a profession representative of all and for all.”
In particular we work to identify and seek to address barriers and assumptions that (i) inhibit the progression of those with a protected characteristic into and within the profession; and (ii) individual access to justice.
Serjeants’ Inn is committed to being an anti-racist organisation. We have a zero-tolerance approach to racism and other discrimination. Please see our anti-racism statement here.
Our Equality and Diversity Officers are Debra Powell KC, Neil Davy KC, Briony Ballard and Rachael Gourley. Our Equality and Diversity Policy is available here. To see a summary of the diversity questionnaires completed by barristers and staff at Serjeants’ Inn Chambers in November/December 2023, please click here. You may also be interested in the Equality and Diversity tables published by Legal Cheek which are here.
We are involved in a number of initiatives which aim to improve access to the profession for applicants from less advantaged backgrounds. For example we offer financial assistance and reimbursement of expenses for mini-pupils where its absence would present a significant barrier to accepting the offer and we participate in the Bar Council’s social mobility scheme.
Many of our individual barristers provide mentoring support for Bar students through the programmes run by the various Inns of Court or otherwise and take part in initiatives such as the Bar Mock Trial Competition held by the Citizenship Foundation.
Chambers supports flexible working for those members and pupils with child care commitments and also supports the return to work of those who have taken extended leave for reasons related to child care. Our Parental Leave and Flexible Working Policy is here.
Chambers is committed to pro-bono work and provides financial and practical support to Friends in Law and First 100 Years. We are also committed to working with FreeBar, which aims to promote diversity and inclusivity of LGBT+ members and staff at the Bar.
Further details of our Environmental, Social and Governance programme are here.