Diversity Committee
Our Equality and Diversity Committee meet on a regular basis and includes staff from a range of backgrounds and different job roles. The committee is headed by two partners and takes an active role in implementing and monitoring our diversity and inclusion initiatives and in tracking the results achieved.
The committee meets bi-monthly and reports progress against ongoing initiatives on a monthly basis to the partnership. There is an annual Diversity plan for the firm and an assigned budget.
Progress against the diversity plan is reported to staff annually at the AGM and all diversity activity is advertised and communicated via regular posts on the firm’s intranet.
The Turing Network
The Turing Network is our internal networking forum in which LGBT+ people working at Bristows can share information and receive or provide support. It also offers networking opportunities for members (and also allies) with other LGBT+ networks including Legal Best and the Interlaw Diversity Forum. The Turing network hosts internal events to which all staff are welcome, as well as supporting and attending external events.
Unconscious bias
Bristows holds Unconscious Bias training internally for everyone involved in our recruitment process and for all partners. This allows us to raise awareness, minimise risk, and ensure that our equal opportunities policy is upheld throughout all aspects of recruitment, promotion and work allocation. From 2018 we have extended this training and awareness to encompass the principles of inclusive leadership. All those who interview regularly are trained in fully fair and inclusive recruitment processes.
Widening access
As part of our commitment to the PRIME initiative, each summer we host a work experience programme for A level students who are part of the Social Mobility Foundation. This supports our commitment to widening access to the profession to people from all backgrounds. We also host an annual workshop for sixth form students, to inform them about the full breadth of career opportunities available in the legal sector. This is open on a national basis to students from the state education sector. To read more about these schemes please see our efforts in corporate responsibility.