Equal Opportunities and Dignity at Work Policy

The Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This means that the Company’s established Policy is to ensure that no unlawful discrimination occurs, either directly or indirectly, against any person associated with any aspect of their treatment or employment including: recruitment and selection, promotion, transfer opportunities for training, pay and benefits, other terms of employment, grievance handling, discipline, selection for redundancy and dismissal.

The Company will take all reasonable steps to employ, train and promote employees on the basis of their experience, abilities and qualifications without regard to age, disability, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity. Within the Equality Act and in this Policy, these are known as ‘protected characteristics’.

The Company’s policy on equal opportunities also extends to its dealings with its clients.

The Company appreciates that, throughout the organisation, treating staff fairly and recognising individual talents, needs and contributions is not only the right thing to achieve, but also makes sound business sense. We recognise that having a mixed workforce confers benefits which include flexibility and a wider pool of skills and experience upon which to draw. What matters is the individual’s ability to do their job. We firmly believe that a diverse workforce constitutes a major business asset.

This Company is committed to eliminating discrimination and promoting equality and diversity in its own policies, practices and procedures and in those areas in which it has influence.

This applies to the Company’s professional dealings with staff and its Directors, other solicitors, barristers, clients, independent consultants, insurers, other suppliers and service providers, interaction with everyone involved or incidental to the provision of services to or by the Company, and to third parties.

All employees are urged to be vigilant and to report any instances of observed or suspected unlawful discrimination incidents or practices within or associated with the workplace, which apply to themselves or anyone else, by using the Company’s Grievance Procedure.

The Company will not condone or tolerate any form of unlawful discrimination, harassment, bullying or intimidation, whether engaged in by employees or by outside third parties who do business with the Company, such as clients, contractors and suppliers.

The Company will also take appropriate action against any third parties who are concluded to have committed any such improper or unlawful acts against its employees.

We monitor and report data bi-annually (or as and when required by the SRA) from our workforce about diversity in our Company in compliance with paragraph 1.5 SRA Code of Conduct. However, we do not publish this information due to the risk of such data being able to identify particular person(s) in our Company and to protect their identity.