The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has today published its Equality and Diversity Strategy for 2020-2022. This follows the publication of its Diversity at the Bar Report in January 2020, which showed that the diversity of the profession was slowly improving but that further progress is needed.
The BSB has developed equality objectives and a corresponding action plan to increase diversity at the Bar and improve access to justice.
The strategy includes objectives to address discrimination and harassment and to review the role of regulation in enhancing access to justice and wellbeing at the Bar.
The Equality and Diversity Strategy will be implemented over a period of two years. In taking forward the strategy in the months ahead, the Bar Standards Board will, of course, be sensitive to the demands made on the profession by the current health emergency, while also ensuring that momentum on this hugely important agenda is maintained.
BSB Head of Equality and Access to Justice, Amit Popat, said: “This new strategy will drive our work to improve equality and diversity at the Bar over the next two years, so that the profession can better reflect the society it serves. We will work to understand and tackle the causes of discrimination and harassment, explore how we can we effectively contribute to the wellbeing agenda and improve access to justice. Key to this strategy is collaborating with other organisations to ensure that equality and diversity policies improve working cultures at the Bar.”
Read the BSB Equality and Diversity Strategy 2020-2022 here.
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Notes to editors
About the Bar Standards Board
Our mission is to regulate barristers and specialised legal services businesses in England and Wales in the public interest. For more information about what we do visit: http://bit.ly/1gwui8t
About the BSB Equality Objectives 2020-2022
- Address the causes of discrimination at the Bar because of protected characteristics.
- Review the role of regulation in improving the wellbeing of members of the profession.
- Review the role of regulation in improving access to justice.
- Improve the implementation of equality and diversity policies with authorised providers of vocational training.
- Embed equality and diversity good practice across all BSB departments.
About the BSB’s response to COVID-19
The BSB has published a statement on COVID-19 that will be continually reviewed and updated as required.
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