We, Barker Brettell LLP, commit to:

We will demonstrate this commitment by:

Providing visible and proactive leadership to improve D&I in our organisation

  • Being involved in, and contributing to, D&I projects and events
  • Putting our name to a public statement of the organisation’s commitment to D&I and of its D&I objectives, strategy and policies
  • Acting as an ally to, and champion for, colleagues from under-represented groups

Taking D&I seriously at the highest level

  • Including D&I as a regular agenda item at board/partnership meetings
  • Ensuring that D&I is fully integrated with our firm’s strategic priorities
  • Creating a culture which embraces and values difference and challenging those unwilling to confirm
  • Ensuring we have a succession pipeline that is diverse, equitable and equal

Embedding and valuing D&I throughout the organisational culture

  • Building a culture in which the whole of our firm is involved in the quest for D&I
  • Ensuring D&I runs through the strategic and operational plans for the organisation
  • Supporting and enabling staff to engage in D&I related projects and training.

Building trust and safe spaces throughout the organisation

  • Maintaining our long-standing zero-tolerance policy on discrimination and harassment
  • Supporting the promotion of our wellbeing space, and that access to our support helplines is available
  • Ensuring a zero-tolerance policy on discrimination and harassment continues and challenge behaviours which are contrary to this
  • Creating a safe space and encouraging all staff, at all levels, to bring their whole selves to work and speak openly about their identities with the aim that everyone can be their true selves in the work place knowing they can, if they wish, progress if they have the ability
  • To being an active listener and acting with support where appropriate
  • Supporting our mental health first-aider program

Educating ourselves and our colleagues about D&I issues

  • Attending D&I training and discussions, such as those of IP Inclusive
  • Proactively supporting the firms D&I focus group and being available to listen to their ideas and plans and support them throughout the firm
  • Include in staff induction and make D&I part of our firm’s ethos

Sharing our privileges

  • Continuing to support the excellent work of IP Inclusive and its outreach initiatives e.g., Careers in Ideas.
  • Supporting initiatives such as outreach schemes to improve access to the IP professions (e.g., a work experience, internship, sponsored placement or similar scheme)
  • Carrying on the work experience schemes we run and ensuring the entrants for those schemes are diverse.

Insisting on equity

  • Carrying on our fair, diversity-enhancing recruitment and promotion procedures throughout our organisation
  • Not tolerating prejudice in recruitment, or any other area
  • Ensuring we use continue to use wide channels to advertise vacancies, including through a range of external recruitment consultants, Twitter, LinkedIn, university websites, our website, and a friends and families introduction scheme
  • Creating equity in promotions

Working closely with HR and/or management colleagues to achieve this

  • Creating open communication with HR colleagues to fulfil our projects
  • Working with our HR and recruitment teams to ensure we are reaching out to a diverse pool of talent in our recruitment programme
  • Creating a pipeline for diverse talent to join our business in all roles by improving how we attract and recruit new talent

We are proud of what we have already achieved but we know we can never become complacent. We need to keep evolving and educating.