Equality & Diversity

Thomas More Chambers has a firm commitment to equal opportunities and encourages applications from suitably qualified individuals from all sections of society regardless of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief or age. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to remove the barriers faced by disabled people.

A summary has been compiled from voluntary questionnaires completed by our employees and barristers. It is up-to-date as of 14th August 2020.

Thomas More Chambers Anti-Racism Statement

Thomas More Chambers is committed to being an anti-racist organisation. We recognise the impact of racism and discriminatory behaviours across all levels of society, and that those behaviours are just as prevalent in the legal profession. We recognise the importance of being allies to all Black, Asian and minority ethnic people, of educating our members and staff, and of a continuous drive to be anti-racist.

Thomas More Chambers is committed to positive change by embedding an anti-racist approach in the way we work, and in the services we provide. We have a collective and personal duty to comply with the Equality Rules of the Bar Standard Board, and the anti-racist actions set out in the Bar Standards Board’s Anti-Racist Statement of November 2020.

We therefore commit to:

• Using a race equality audit to identify barriers to race equality;
• Designing and implementing positive action measures, where the audit shows that there is an underrepresentation of, or adverse impact on, people from Minority Ethnic Groups;
• Undertaking comprehensive anti-racist training for all barristers and staff; and
• Maintaining a zero-tolerance approach to any form of racism and condemning all discriminatory behaviour of any kind.

We have conducted a race equality audit within Chambers and will use the results from this audit to create measures to address race inequality within Chambers. We are implementing anti-racism training for all staff and members, and will complete this as soon as possible using Bar Standards Board approved training.

We have produced anti-racist policies and are committed to fostering a culture of anti-racism in Chambers. We acknowledge the difference between conscious and unconscious bias and are striving for a culture in which all bias is eradicated.