Gatehouse Chambers Charter

Our organisation:

• Recognises the role all organisations can play in challenging inequalities, and the delivery of anti-discriminatory practices for the benefit of all and in particular under-represented or disadvantaged groups and individuals.
• Commits to ensuring an inclusive, welcoming and safe place for all regardless of any individual’s characteristics, identity, background and/or range of experiences including but not limited to race, gender, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, age, neurodiversity, disability, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership, socio-economic and/or educational background (whether protected under the Equality Act 2010 or not) (“all Characteristics”).
• Commits to taking a lead in influencing positive change within our organisation, in our profession and more widely. In doing so, acknowledges its role as a part of the administration of justice and the provision of legal services to the public.
• Recognises the need, as proactive allies, to create and maintain an accepting environment welcoming colleagues and clients regardless of their Characteristics.
• Ensures our recruitment, selection and promotional criteria, policies and materials are designed to be explicitly inclusive and encouraging to those from under-represented and/or disadvantaged groups and to reduce the risk of bias (conscious or unconscious).
• Promotes diversity of leadership and representation throughout our organisation.
• Acknowledges the ongoing under-representation of various groups in the Bar community at all levels and the need to address recruitment, retention and progression.

Our organisation pledges to promote inclusion and positive change by:

1. Having one named member of our senior leadership team/management committee who is accountable for each of (i) sex and gender diversity and inclusion, (ii) race and religious equality and inclusion and (iii) ensuring the freedom, dignity and inclusion of people who are neurodiverse and/or with disabilities within and dealing with our organisation.
2. Auditing and/or considering (on an annual basis) the differential outcomes for different groups at all levels of the organisation to identify barriers to equality based on any Characteristics.
3. Developing, regularly reviewing and maintaining an inclusion and equality action plan to achieve equality and address identified barriers (including but not limited to specific objectives to address barriers related to sex and gender, race and religion, and neurodiversity or disability) and socio-economic and/or educational backgrounds at all levels of our organisation.
4. Setting and including within the inclusion and equality action plan targets for diversity in senior roles, recruitment, progression and/or remuneration.
5. Reviewing our performance against the action plan and any targets, producing a report on our progress and revising the action plan in light of any progress or lack of progress annually.
6. Committing at a senior level to address any language or conduct within the workplace which might be regarded as subjecting a person with any Characteristic to discrimination, bullying or harassment within our organisation.
7. Asking every member of this organisation to hold themselves and each other accountable for living up to these statements and pledges.
8. Encouraging everyone in the organisation to take time to educate themselves about the experience of and barriers faced by others so that we may be better allies to each other.
9. Making public our pledge and publishing our targets, action plan and annual report on progress.
10. Making training, designed to achieve and embed a comprehensive inclusive culture and practices, available to everyone in the organisation and encouraging everyone to undertake such training.

June 2021