Chambers Policies
Equality and Diversity Policy Statement
Complaints Policy
EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY POLICY STATEMENT
23 ESSEX STREET is firmly committed to the principles of Equal Opportunities and Diversity and makes every effort to reflect the relevant legislative framework provided by Parliament and comply with the Equality and Diversity Code for the Bar. We do this by the promotion of policies, processes and procedures that endeavour to achieve a complete absence of discrimination in chambers’ internal policies and practices, its recruitment and casework and in the provision of all services.
The aim is to ensure a complete absence of direct or indirect discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, nationality, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, religion or political belief.
We thereby ensure:
- Equality of access to all applicants
All recruitment is conducted by assessing candidates suitability for identified vacancies by applying objective criteria against job and person specifications.
- Equality of treatment to all barristers and members of staff
We have implemented, will maintain and monitor procedures for:
(a) ensuring that work is allocated fairly and that everyone is given a fair opportunity for marketing, practice development, training and promotion and
(b) leave of absence, the facilitation of return to work after leave of absence and where possible facilitate flexible working practices.
- Equality of service to all professional and lay clients
Chambers is concerned to make its facilities accessible to persons with disabilities and makes every effort to ensure this.
We continue to assess the steps we have taken and to monitor and undertake any need to update or amend any aspect of our practice and policy. The complete Equality and Diversity policy document is available on request.
Responsibility for ensuring the implementation of the detail of the policy is placed with Chamber’s Equality Officer, who is a member of the Management Committee. The Equality Officer ensures that consideration is given by the Management Committee and Chambers to the need for any amendment to the policy and the practices of Chambers at least once a year.
COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
1. Our aim is to give you a good service at all times. However if you have a complaint you are invited to let us know as soon as possible. It is not necessary to involve solicitors in order to make a complaint but you are free to do so should you wish.
2. Please note that Chambers will only consider complaints that are raised within six months of the act or omission complained of.
Complaints made by Telephone
3. You may wish to make a complaint in writing and, if so, please follow the procedure in paragraph 4 and 5 below. However, if you would rather speak on the telephone about your complaint then in the first instance please contact our Senior Clerk. If your complaint is about the Senior Clerk then please telephone the Head of Chambers/Head of Complaints Panel. The person you contact will make a note of the details of your complaint and what you would like done about it. He will discuss your concerns with you and aim to resolve them. If the matter is resolved he will record the outcome, check that you are satisfied with the outcome and record that you are satisfied. You may also wish to record the outcome of the telephone discussion in writing.
4. If your complaint is not resolved on the telephone you will be invited to write to us about it within the next 14 days so it can be investigated formally.
Complaints made in Writing
5. Please give the following details :
• Your name and address;
• Which member(s) of Chambers you are complaining about;
• The detail of the complaint; and
• What you would like done about it.
Please address your letter to Sheona Taylor, Chambers Manager at 23 Essex Street, London WC2R 3AA. We will, where possible, acknowledge receipt of your complaint within two days and provide you with details of how your complaint will be dealt with.
6. Our Chambers has a panel headed by Dafydd Enoch QC and made up of experienced members of Chambers and a senior member of staff, which considers any written complaint. Within 14 days of your letter being received the head of the panel or his deputy in his absence will appoint a member of the panel to investigate it. If your complaint is against the head of the panel, the next most senior member of the panel will investigate it. In any case, the person appointed will be someone other than the person you are complaining about.
7. The person appointed to investigate will write to you as soon as possible to let you know he has been appointed and that he will reply to your complaint within 14 days. If he finds later that he is not going to be able to reply within 14 days he will set a new date for his reply and inform you. His reply will set out :
• The nature and scope of his investigation;
• His conclusion on each complaint and the basis for his conclusion; and
• If he finds that you are justified in your complaint, his proposals for resolving the complaint.
Confidentiality
8. All conversations and documents relating to the complaint will be treated as confidential and will be disclosed only to the extent that is necessary. Disclosure will be to the head of chambers, members of our management committee and to anyone involved in the complaint and its investigation. Such people will include the barrister member or staff who you have complained about, the head or relevant senior member of the panel and the person who investigates the complaint. The Bar Standards Board is entitled to inspect the documents and seek information about the complaint when discharging its auditing and monitoring functions.
Our Policy
9. As part of our commitment to client care we make a written record of any complaint and retain all documents and correspondence generated by the complaint for a period of six years. Our management committee inspects the records regularly with a view to improving services.
Complaints to the Bar Standards Board (the regulatory arm of the Bar Council, the professional body for barristers)
10. We hope that you will use our procedure. However, if you would rather not do so or are unhappy with the outcome you may take up your complaint with the Bar Standards Board at any time. Please note that the Bar Standards Board has a six month time limit from the date of the act or omission about which you are complaining within which to make your complaint. However, should you raise your complaint with Chambers first, there is a three month time limit from the conclusion of the investigation by Chambers in which to raise your complaint with the Board. You can write to them at :
Complaints Team
Bar Standards Board
289-293 High Holborn
London WC1V 7HZ
Tel: 020 7611 1444
Fax: 020 7831 9217
See also: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk