Equality & Diversity

Harcourt is committed to the principle of equality without discrimination on grounds of age, disability, gender, marital or civil-partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. As a chambers we aim to ensure meaningful compliance with our equalities duties in every aspect of our work.

Our policy on Equality and Diversity can be found here.

Our published equalities and diversity data can be found here.

Harcourt Anti-Racist Statement

Harcourt is committed to being an anti-racist organisation and there is a zero-tolerance approach to racism. Chambers is committed to challenging and dismantling structural racism within any practice, policy, procedure within Chambers or the legal system generally.

It is unacceptable that anyone within Chambers experiences racism or discrimination.

Harcourt has a duty to promote diversity within Chambers and its members have a core duty not to discriminate unlawfully against any person.

We as a Chambers recognise that active campaigning against injustice, both in the UK and worldwide, has shaped and influenced change in the form of both community awareness and statutory reform, which includes the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. The shocking murder of Stephen Lawrence, death of George Floyd in May 2020 and the work of Black Lives matter in the UK, and worldwide, has highlighted the urgent need for continued cultural change and structural reform.

Harcourt embraces the role that it can play in challenging racism and delivering anti-racist practice.

We have considered our approach, in consultation with all relevant materials published by the BSB, and have:

• Created an action plan to improve anti-racist practice – including prioritising engagement with members of chambers from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups and undertaking a critical analysis of procedures for recruiting, retaining and supporting the progression of barristers from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.
• Started working towards a complete race equity audit in compliance with the BSB guidelines and will implement any required positive action measures where our audit shows there is an underrepresentation of, or adverse impact on, people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.
• Committed to training all out staff on anti-discriminatory practice and capacity to create inclusive working cultures. This training will be delivered in a practical and considered way in order to adequately address any barriers to race equality and carry the maximum positive impact for behavioural change by individuals and the working culture within Chambers.
• Integrated anti-discriminatory competencies into our staff performance frameworks and staff inductions.

We remain committed to ensuring that Harcourt is an anti-racist environment within which all our barristers and staff can work and we will continue to optimise our anti-racist practice and policy.

If you would like a version of this statement in hard copy, or in an alternative format, please contact the Simon Boutwood, Chambers Director, on 020 7896 4520 or: sboutwood@harcourtchambers.co.uk