On the 7th April, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) published its equality and diversity strategy 2020-2022. The strategy comes on the back of the Board’s report into the same topic, which suggested that whilst the situation in the profession was slowly improving more work still needed to be done.
Objectives outlined in the strategy include
- Addressing the causes of discrimination and harassment at the Bar because of a protected characteristic
- Reviewing the role of regulation in improving the wellbeing of members of the profession
- Improving the implementation of equality and diversity policies with vocational training
- Embedding equality and diversity good practice across all BSB departments
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 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.”
- the Bar Standards Board equality and diversity strategy 2020-2022 (PDF)
- the Bar Standards Board annual business plan 2020-2021 (PDF)