Diversity

Having been recognised as being accredited with the Lexcel standard and as an ‘Investor in People’ organisation since 2002, we are now taking the next step to be acknowledged for the work which we are already doing in terms of equality and diversity, and have begun the journey towards becoming accredited under the new national standard ‘Investors in Diversity’.

As a firm, we strongly believe that building a workplace which is inclusive and supportive for all our people not only improves morale and performance, but also makes good business sense.

Our diverse workforce allows us to cater to a wider customer and supplier base, and brings innovation which allows us to be one step ahead in our market.

We understand that we must acknowledge and act positively in relation to our corporate social responsibility with the communities where we are based. Because of the nature of our core clients (which includes organisations such as local authorities, Primary Care Trusts, social enterprises, and charities) we recognise that we, as a firm, must actively ensure that we strive to maintain and develop our open and welcoming approach to people from different backgrounds. We also understand that this is not a one-off process and that we must endeavor to continue to improve how we manage diversity, in order to ensure that we acknowledge and react to the needs of our clients, existing and new.

Our journey toward accreditation requires a review of our management practices, as well as our relationships with key stakeholders. Our policy and practices on diversity matters are informed by consultations with key partners, suppliers, staff and clients - all of whom inform us on diversity issues and are made aware of our commitment to ensure that we operate as a diverse and inclusive organisation.

Equality & Diversity Policy

The Firm is committed to upholding equality and respecting diversity for its clients, staff and applicants to the Firm, as well as third party service providers and we will not discriminate on grounds of sex (including marital status, gender reassignment, pregnancy, maternity and paternity), race or racial group (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), disability, religion or belief, age or sexual orientation (including civil partnership status).

We aim to ensure that all our staff are selected, trained, compensated, promoted or transferred solely on the strength of their ability, qualification and merit. We strive to develop and implement policies and procedures to ensure that all employees and job applicants receive fair and equal treatment. This helps us to ensure that we provide the very best service to our clients.

All staff have the right to a working environment free from harassment, discrimination or bullying. The Firm will not permit or condone any form of harassment and is committed to providing a work place free of discrimination based on sex, race or racial group, disability, religion or belief, age or sexual orientation. The working environment helps us achieve the highest standards of service.

Clients
The Firm is (in accordance with the Solicitor’s Code of Conduct) free to decide whether to accept instructions from any particular client, but any refusal to act will not be based upon the race, colour, ethnic or national origins, sex, age, creed, disability, religious beliefs or sexual orientation of the prospective client.

Supplier Diversity
The firm encourages our suppliers to adopt policies to embrace and promote diversity within their organisations, and we will continue to work with suppliers to ensure that we appoint suppliers to reflect our principles.

All Dealings
The Firm will deal with all persons with the same attention, courtesy and consideration regardless of race, colour, ethnic or national origins, sex, age, religion, disability or sexual orientation.  The firm operates and enforces a strict policy to ensure that we are able to strive for greater diversity. The full details of our Equalities and Diversity policy are available from our Practice Manager Jayne Hughes. 

If you would like to know more about our approach to diversity then please do not hesitate to contact us.

For additional information on diversity please visit National Centre for Diversity.