Non-Discrimination, Equality and Diversity Policy

Policy Summary
We have a clear commitment to care for everyone in our organisation and to promote equality and diversity in all our professional dealings with clients and colleagues alike.

We have a procedure for the annual review of the policy to verify it is in effective operation across the practice.

General Commitment
Our organisation is committed to eliminating discrimination and promoting equality and diversity in its own policies, practices, and procedures, and in those areas over which it has influence. This applies to our organisation’s professional dealings with the Director, staff, barristers, experts, agents, clients, and anyone else we deal with during our business.

No employee, job applicant, client or other third party, will receive less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation; membership or non-membership of a trade union or part-time status, or be disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable.

The following ‘Table 1’ lists those discriminatory grounds protected by law and those which our organisation will not countenance. It is best practice to include the other grounds listed.

Table 1: SQM & Equality Act 2010. Protected characteristics for discrimination

Ground

• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage & Civil Partnership
• Pregnancy & Maternity
• Race
• Religion or belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation

Regulation and Legislation
In developing and implementing its Equality and Diversity policy, our organisation is committed to complying with the SRA’s Code of Conduct for Solicitors 2007, superseded by The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Handbook on 6th October 2011, and again by the SRA’s Code of Conduct for Solicitors, RELs and RFLs 2019 with all current and any future anti-discrimination legislation and associated Codes of Practice including, but not limited to:

• The Equality Act 2010
• The Employment Rights Act 1996
• The Commission for Equality and Human Rights Code of Practice for a reduction in inequality, elimination of discrimination, the strengthening of good relations between people, and the promotion and protection of human rights: and
• Any relevant amendments or re-enactments of such legislation or Codes.

Forms of Discrimination
The following are discriminatory grounds that will not be countenanced by our organisation:

• Direct Discrimination, where a person is treated less favourably than someone else would be treated in the same or similar circumstances because of their age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation, and that constitutes a detriment. Dual discrimination claim can be brought in relation to direct discrimination brought in relation to a combination of two protected characteristics.
• Indirect Discrimination, where an apparently neutral provision, criterion or practice would put a substantially higher proportion of the members of a particular age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, at a particular disadvantage compared with other persons unless that provision, criterion or practice is objectively justified by a legitimate aim and the means of achieving that aim are appropriate and necessary.
• Harassment, when unwanted conduct related to any of the grounds referred to above takes place with the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of a person and of creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment. Harassment may involve physical acts or verbal and non-verbal communications and gestures. This will include physical, verbal, and non-verbal acts.
• Victimisation, where someone is treated less favourably than others because he or she has acted as a witness or support or acted against the organisation under one of the relevant Acts or the Code.

We make it clear that Discrimination, Harassment and Victimisation are disciplinary offences within our organisation.