Bury law firm one of 20 selected to take part in pilot LGBT mentoring scheme

Bury law firm one of 20 selected to take part in pilot LGBT mentoring scheme.

Burnett Barker Solicitors, based in Bury St Edmunds, is delighted to be one of just 20 firms across England & Wales selected by the solicitors regulator, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), to take part in a pilot to develop LGBT inclusivity in small and medium-sized firms.

The scheme, supported by the SRA and Stonewall, a registered charity campaigning for social and legal advancement for LGBT people living in Britain, is ultimately designed to help law firms attract the best staff, regardless of gender or persuasion.

Speaking about the scheme, Mx Aseia Rafique, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager at the SRA said:

“We want to help small and medium-sized law firms develop their approach to lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT) diversity and access the business benefits that come with being a more inclusive employer.”

Mentoring will be carried out by ten firms, all of which are top-performing law firms in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, who will be working with each business taking part in the pilot to develop tailored support and guidance for their firm.

The pilot commences in April and the firm will receive support and guidance on a range of topics including:

• Advocacy and community networks
• Leadership and accountability
• Policy development
• Recruitment and retention
• Role models
• Social media

Daryl Griffiths, CEO at Burnett Barker Solicitors, commented:

“I’m thrilled that we have been selected by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for this pilot, as there are over 10,000 law firms in the country. For us, being a great place to work is really important and that means that we have to recognise the human element and treat our people like people. This in turn means that people like coming to work, enjoy what they do, and consequently offer a far better service to our clients, businesses and individuals, than many of [our peers].

“We applied to join the pilot as this is an incredible opportunity for us to gain knowledge and experience on LGBT issues and we look forward to sharing this with other local businesses as well as the profession.

Burnett Barker is already well-known in the area for their personalised, family-friendly working arrangements – including flexible and part-time working around school hours for working parents and, increasingly, around the care needs of elderly parents.  This has enabled them to recruit highly skilled people, many of whom would not be considered by other less-flexible firms who lack a whole-person approach to their staff.

For more information on Burnett Barker Solicitors and its people, visit www.burnettbarker.co.uk or call 01284 701131.