Anti-racist statement

The statement, which is available to download from this webpage, was developed in collaboration with barristers and BSB members of the regulator’s Race Equality Taskforce. It has been produced in line with the objectives in our Equality and Diversity Strategy for 2020-22 where race equality is a key focus.

The first part of the anti-racist statement explains what steps we are taking to evaluate and strengthen our own commitment to anti-racism, outlining how we intend to lead by example by setting, and meeting, high standards in our own approach.

The second part of the statement sets four anti-racist actions for barristers’ chambers and BSB-regulated entities to implement. These actions have been framed in terms of the requirements set by the Equality Rules of the BSB Handbook and suggest how practitioners, chambers and entities can embed an anti-racist approach in their work to fulfil those requirements. The four actions are to:

• complete a race equality audit to identify the barriers to race equality within a practice;
• design and implement positive action measures, where the audit shows that there is an underrepresentation of, or adverse impact on, people from Minority Ethnic Groups;
• undertake comprehensive anti-racist training for all barristers and staff; and
• produce and publish an anti-racist statement for members of chambers and the public.

The published statement provides more information and advice for barristers’ practices about these actions and how to complete them. From April 2021, we will review the profession’s response to today’s statement by asking what steps have been taken to meet the published actions. This will take into account the resource challenges experienced by some chambers as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, we expect all chambers to have regard to the four actions set out above in reviewing their own plans.