Encouraging diversity
Public Equality Duty - Equality Act 2010
The Bar Council as the Approved Regulator of barristers is
committed to meeting in full the general public equality duty. This
requires that public authorities have due regard to the need to
eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and
foster good relations between those who share a protected
characteristic (i.e. age, disability, gender reassignment,
pregnancy and maternity, race, sex, sexual orientation, religion or
belief and marriage and civil partnership) and those
who do not share it. In addition, the Bar Council is subject to the
Specific Duties Regulations 2011 that require public authorities to
publish equality evidence and equality objectives to help us
achieve the general duty.
The
Bar Standards Board, the regulator of barristers, is developing
equality objectives that relate to its public functions. The Bar
Council has adopted priorities on widening access to the
profession, strengthening diversity within the profession and
promoting a working environment for its members and staff where
processes are open and fair.
We will publish our equality objectives by 6 April 2012 and
these will be developed in the light of our equality evidence.
We are committed to providing clear and transparent data and
statistics to anyone with an interest about those seeking to enter
the profession, the composition of the profession, our staff and
the diversity impact of our policies.
Diversity evidence
1. The
Bar Barometer contains information about diversity trends in
access to training for the profession and on those in practice from
2005-10.
2. Barristers' Working Lives:
A Biennial Survey of the Bar 2011. This provides a baseline and
an evidence base on which we can monitor trends in the profession
and formulate new policies. It includes breakdowns by the main
protected characteristics, by academic background, by the main
specialist practice areas, by judicial and silk appointments.
Socio-economic status is measured by reference to type of secondary
schooling.
3. General Council of the Bar's Exit Survey 2011 on barristers
who have ceased subscribing or changed their practice status from
2001-10.
If you would like further information please contact the Bar
Council Equality and Diversity team.
To demonstrate compliance with the Equality Act 2010, the Bar
Council conducts equality
analysis on all its new policies.