Russell-Cooke Equality and Diversity Policy
1. STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT
General commitment
Russell-Cooke (the firm) is committed to promoting equality and diversity across the firm by providing training, raising awareness and creating an inclusive work environment.
The firm’s key objective is to maintain a culture of mutual respect and consideration, ensuring that everyone is treated equally and with the same attention, courtesy and respect regardless of their disability, age, gender, marital status, race, racial group, colour, ethnic or national origin, nationality, religion or belief, age or sexual orientation.
This commitment applies to the firm’s professional dealings with all staff and partners, clients, other solicitors, barristers and third parties.
The firm is a supporter of the Law Society’s Diversity Access Scheme and a member of the Law Society’s Diversity and Inclusion Charter.
Regulation and legislation
In managing and maintaining its commitment to its equality and diversity policy, the firm ensures compliance with the SRA Handbook and Code of Conduct Solicitors’ and with all current and any future anti-discrimination legislation and associated codes of practice including, but not limited to the Equality Act 2010 and also the firm’s own policies, as set out in the Office Manual.
2. DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
The firm does not tolerate discrimination on any grounds. The following are examples of discrimination:
- Direct discrimination, where a person is treated less favourably on the grounds of race, racial group, colour, ethnic or national origins, sex, pregnancy, age, marital status, disability or sexual orientation or religion or belief.
- Indirect discrimination, where an apparently neutral provision, criterion or practice would put a substantially higher proportion of the members of one sex, or persons having a racial or ethnic origin, or a particular religion or belief, or a particular disability or a particular sexual orientation, or age group at a particular disadvantage compared with other persons unless that provision, criterion or practice is objectively justified by a legitimate aim and the means of achieving that aim are appropriate and necessary.
- Victimisation, where someone is treated less favourably than others because he or she has taken action against the firm under one of the relevant Acts.
- Harassment, when unwanted conduct related to any of the grounds referred to above takes place with the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of a person and of creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment. Harassment may involve physical acts or verbal and non-verbal communications and gestures. This will include physical, verbal and non-verbal acts.
3. EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING
Employment
The firm will treat all employees equally and create a working environment which promotes inclusion and respects the diverse backgrounds and beliefs of all its partners and employees and which is free from discrimination and harassment. This will include arrangements for recruitment and selection, terms and conditions of employment, access to training opportunities, access to promotion and transfers, grievance and disciplinary processes, demotions, selection for redundancies, dress code, references, bonus schemes, work allocation and any other employment related activities.
Terms and conditions of service will comply with all diversity and equality legislation. The provision of benefits such as working hours, maternity and other leave arrangements, performance appraisal systems, dress code, bonus schemes and any other conditions of employment will not discriminate against any employee on the grounds of their gender; marital status; race; racial group; colour; ethnic or national origin; nationality; religion or belief; age or sexual orientation; or unreasonably on the grounds of their disability.
The firm actively endeavours to provide appropriate facilities and conditions of service which take into account the specific needs of employees which arise from their ethnic or cultural background; gender; responsibilities as carers; disability; religion or belief; age, or sexual orientation.
Promotion and Career development
Promotion within the firm (including to partners) will be based solely on merit and made in accordance with the principles of equality and diversity.
The selection criteria and processes for recruitment and promotion will be kept under review to ensure that there is no discriminatory impact on any particular group.
Whilst positive action measures may be taken in accordance with the relevant equality and diversity legislation to encourage under-represented groups to apply for promotion opportunities, recruitment or promotion to all jobs will be based solely on merit.
All employees will have equal access to training and other career development opportunities appropriate to their experience and abilities. However the firm will take positive action measures where appropriate (as permitted by the equality and diversity legislation) to provide special training and support for groups which are under-represented in the workforce and encourage them to take up training and career development opportunities.
The firm encourages a life-work balance amongst its employees. Provision of flexible working options. Currently 18% of the firm’s employees work part-time/flexible hours
Recruitment and selection
This firm recognises the benefits of having a diverse workforce and actively encourages a workplace where everyone is valued for their skills and contribution. The firm therefore takes steps to ensure that:
- it endeavours to recruit from the widest pool of qualified candidates;
employment opportunities are open and accessible to all on the basis of their individual qualities and personal merit; - where appropriate positive action measures are taken to attract applications from all sections of society and especially from those groups which are under represented in the workforce;
- selection criteria and processes do not discriminate unjustifiably on the grounds of disability; gender; marital status; race; racial group; colour; ethnic or national origin; nationality; religion or belief; age or sexual orientation;
- wherever appropriate and necessary, lawful exemptions (genuine occupational requirements) will be used to recruit suitable staff to meet the special needs of particular groups;
- all recruitment agencies acting for the firm are aware of its requirement not to discriminate and to act accordingly.
The firm reviews and revises its Recruitment Policy procedures on an annual basis to ensure it attracts and retains individuals from diverse backgrounds.
All recruitment application forms have voluntary ethnic/diversity forms attached. Once completed and returned they are retained for monitoring and central analysis.
4. PARTNERS
Arrangements and procedures for selecting partners, their terms and conditions of partnership, access to benefits, facilities or services and termination arrangements will be reviewed and amended where necessary to reflect the commitment to equality and diversity.
5. BARRISTERS AND THIRD PARTIES
Barristers and third parties
Barristers are instructed on the basis of their skills, experience and ability. The firm will not, on any of the forbidden grounds, avoid briefing a barrister and will not request barristers clerks to do so.
Suppliers
All lists of approved suppliers and databases of contractors, agents and other third parties who, or which, are regarded as suitable to be instructed by those within the firm have been compiled only on the basis of the ability of those persons or organisations to undertake work of a particular type and contain no discriminatory exclusion, restriction or preference.
6. CLIENTS
The firm will take steps to meet the different needs of all its clients and will seek to provide services which meet the specific needs in particular of those clients who are vulnerable and/or require adjustments to be made arising from the clients’ disability, ethnic or cultural background; gender; responsibilities as carers; religion or belief; age, sexual orientation or other relevant factors.
7. EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY TRAINING AND AWARENESS
All firm employees and partners are aware of the firm’s Equality and Diversity policy. Since the introduction in 2008 of the firm’s on-line Diversity Training programme, all staff and partners are required to undertake this course on an annual basis.
All those who act on the firm’s behalf will be informed of this Equality and Diversity policy and will be expected to pay due regard to it when conducting business on the firm’s behalf.
In all its dealings, including those with suppliers, contractors and recruitment agencies, the firm will seek to promote the principles of equality and diversity.
The firm makes every effort to reflect its commitment to equality and diversity in its marketing and communication activities.
8. IMPLEMENTING THE POLICY
Responsibility
Ultimate responsibility for ensuring the awareness of and compliance with this policy rests with the partners of the firm. In addition the firm has appointed the Deputy Senior Partner, Nigel Coates, as its Diversity Awareness Partner and he has overall responsibility for the operation and implementation of the policy.
All employees and partners of the firm are aware of and expected to pay due regard to the provisions of its Equality and Diversity policy and are responsible for ensuring compliance with it on a day to day basis when undertaking their jobs or representing the firm.
Acts of discrimination or harassment by employees or partners of the firm are not tolerated and will be taken very seriously and result in disciplinary action. Failure to comply with this policy will be treated in a similar fashion. The policy applies to all who are employed in the firm and to all partners.
Acts of discrimination or harassment on any of the forbidden grounds by those acting on behalf of the firm will lead to appropriate action including termination of services where appropriate.
Complaints of discrimination
The firm will treat seriously, and will investigate all complaints of discrimination or harassment on any of the forbidden grounds made by employees, partners, clients, barristers or other third parties.
All complaints will be investigated in accordance with the firm’s grievance procedures (contained in the Office Manual).
Monitoring and review
This policy will be reviewed on an annual basis by the Board to measure its progress and judge its effectiveness.
A key objective of the firm is to measure and monitor the diversity of the firm’s workforce diversity and the following proactive steps are taken to achieve this:
The diversity data of all partners and employees is recorded and monitored within the Cascade HR system in relation to ethnicity, gender, disability, age, religion or belief and sexual orientation.
Diversity data is recorded and monitored of all applicants, short-listed applicants and successful applicants for jobs and training contracts.
The firm will maintains records of the details, number and outcome of complaints of discrimination made by staff, partners, barristers, clients and other third parties.
The firm will maintain records of any disciplinary action (if any) taken against employees as a result of failure to comply with this policy.
If you have any queries or concerns relating to this policy please speak to Nigel Coates (Diversity Awareness Partner) or Lindsey Bradley (Compliance Manager).
January 2012
