Diversity and Inclusion

LGBT+ equality and inclusion

We work with FreeBar to promote best practice in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and others’ equality. We ensure that all LGBT+ people are accepted without exception in our workplace.

Disability and accessibility

Our client areas have full services for those with disabilities, including induction loops, blue badge parking at the entrance and level access. Should any reasonable adjustments be required for your visit please contact our clerks.

Wellbeing

We make every effort to protect the wellbeing of all of our personnel. We have six trained Wellbeing Officers who are on hand to offer support and signposting to assistance. We ensure that no-one has to deal with wellbeing issues on their own.

We were one of the first chambers to be awarded a Wellbeing Certificate of Recognition by the Bar Council, recognising best practice and commitment.

Diversity data

Click on the button below to take you to our Diversity Data

Equality and Diversity Policy

Our Equality and Diversity Policy can be found here.

Ropewalk Chambers Anti-Racist Statement

Ropewalk is committed to being an anti-racist organisation. This does not simply mean acting in a way which is not racially discriminatory, but also taking proactive steps to address and remedy the impact of institutional racism within our organisation.

Promoting equality and diversity is a central tenet of our organisation. The events of 2020 however, including the prominence of the Black Lives Matter movement and the conversations that this has prompted, has challenged us to review our approach to combating racism and discriminatory practices within our organisation.  We have recognised that we can and should be more proactive in ensuring that principles of diversity and inclusion that we seek to uphold are firmly embedded within the entire structure and operation of our organisation.

We make this statement as part of our conscious and continuing policy of improvement.

It is unacceptable that we do not live in a society where every person irrespective of their ethnicity or background can achieve their full potential at work.  We recognise that bias remains prevalent at the Bar permeating every aspect from recruitment, career progression and workforce retention.

We cannot change the Bar at large but we can take strides towards achieving a more diverse and inclusive Bar by making key changes within our own organisation. These changes have already begun.  As a start we have:

• Reviewed and revised the recruitment processes within our organisation to ensure that they are fair, transparent and free from the permeation of bias and discriminatory practices.

• Encouraging applications from under-represented groups particularly from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.

• Collecting and examining diversity data to identify whether there are any potential barriers affecting the progression of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups through our recruitment processes.  

We believe that we have already made progress towards achieving a more diverse and inclusive Chambers as a result of changes that we have implemented to our recruitment processes.  We recognise however that more can be done to ensure that there are no barriers to the career progression of those members of our workforce from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and, that there are no factors affecting our ability to retain those individuals as members of our workforce.  Accordingly, we propose to complete a race equality audit to identify barriers to race equality, which will include:

• Regular analysis of data relating to work allocation, pay, opportunities for career development and opportunities for taking on leadership roles and positions of responsibility within Chambers; to ensure fair and equitable work distribution and equality of opportunity for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic members of our workforce.

• Engagement with members of our workforce from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, providing safe forums for the sharing of information and experiences.

• Input from external experts and the implementation of comprehensive anti-racism training for all members, trainees and staff.

We recognise that it is still very difficult to talk about race and ethnicity in the workplace and we know that it will take time to change this however; we are committed to creating an environment where people can discuss these matters openly and can bring their whole selves to the workplace.  Until these conversations take place, we cannot fully identify and resolve any systemic issues or cultures within our organisation, which adversely impact on our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic workforce. 

Our aspiration is to create a workplace where:

• There are no barriers to us attracting and developing individuals from the widest pool of talent;

• Every member of our workforce can fulfill their potential at work;

• Our workforce is as diverse as the society we serve;

• Diversity is encouraged and celebrated.

We will challenge ourselves to constantly review and reflect on our systems, procedures and processes, setting realistic and focused targets to ensure that our aspirations are being met. 

We have published this ‘anti-racist’ statement in accordance with the terminology used by the Bar Standards Board although we consider it more accurately described as an ‘anti-racism’ statement to reflect our ongoing commitment to combat racism.