Women in Law Pledge
Exchange Chambers are proud signatories of the Women in Law Pledge, created by the Bar Council of England and Wales, The Law Society, and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) to help tackle the issue of gender equality within the legal profession.
In signing the Pledge, Chambers have implemented an action plan addressing key areas of the business including recruitment, career progression and retention, opportunities and pay, training, marketing and management. We are committed to supporting the progression of women in the profession by focusing on retention and practice development opportunities.
Our key targets include the following:
Recruitment
- Maintain our current gender balance in pupillage & external recruitment
Career Progression and Retention
- Encouraging and supporting potential applicants for silk and judicial appointment
- Achieve participation of juniors in led cases in proportion to the departmental gender balance by monitoring instructions to juniors in led cases
- Ensure retention of female barristers
- Ensure availability of flexible working opportunities and that those working flexibly have access to good work and progression
Opportunities and Pay
- Ensure equitable pay and access to opportunities by monitoring receipts across chambers by reference to gender, seniority and department
Training
- All members of chambers and staff to have received E&D training within last 3 years
Marketing
- Ensure participation in seminars and marketing events reflects chambers’ gender balance for each department.
Chambers Management
- Ensuring a minimum gender balance across Chambers Management Board, and all committees
Sex Discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment in the workplace
- Maintain appropriate policies addressing sex discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment in the workplace.
- Ensure policies are applied, enforced and appropriate disciplinary action taken where breaches occur.
We will be tracking progress towards achieving our goals and are confident that our targets will make a real positive change within Chambers.
