Equality and Diversity

Temple Garden Chambers is committed to promoting equality and diversity within Chambers and at the Bar. We take a proactive approach going beyond our obligations under the Equality and Diversity Rules of the BSB Handbook.

EXAMPLES OF ACTION TAKEN TO DATE

We have put in place the following policies:

• Equality and Diversity Policy.
• Anti-harassment Policy.
• Parental Leave Policy. Our Policy is more generous than the BSB guidelines, which state that where any element of rent is paid on a flat rate basis chambers should provide a minimum of 6 months free – we allow 12 months.
• Flexible Working Policy to ensure that members can manage family responsibilities, any long-term illness or disability.
• Reasonable Adjustments Policy.

We have an Equality and Diversity Action Plan, which is regularly reviewed and updated by the Equality and Diversity Committee.

In relation to pupillage applications:

• All candidates are assessed using objective and fair criteria.
• Everyone involved in the selection process (i.e. both sifters and interview panel members) is trained in fair recruitment and selection processes.
• We use blind recruitment at the sifting stage: names are replaced with numbers and sifters do not know any of the personal information that would identify gender, age, ethnicity, location etc. Sifters also attend a coordination meeting to ensure that our fair recruitment criteria are being objectively applied. The sift is then moderated to ensure consistency and fairness.
• For further information, see the Join Us section of this website.

We foster an open, friendly and supportive environment both during pupillage and beyond. Specifically, we have a designated ‘Pupil Contact’ – this is a member of Chambers who acts as a support mechanism for pupils and, through whom, they can raise any issues or concerns in confidence.

We collect and review diversity data and monitor the allocation of unassigned work. View our diversity data here.

We have established a Rent Review Committee. Its remit includes considering any equality and diversity implications of Chambers’ rent policy and proposing appropriate remedial action.

We believe that the profession should be representative of society as a whole. We are committed to improving access to the Bar for those from non-traditional backgrounds and increasing the representation of under-represented groups.  In 2019, we partnered with the Social Mobility Foundation to provide mini-pupillages to high-achieving students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Our Equality and Diversity Officer is Andrew O’Connor QC. Our Diversity Data Officer is Paul McGrath.