Barker Brettell LLP

We are truly committed to providing a supportive working environment that respects and values each individual employee regardless of their background and experience.

We aim to encourage every member of our team to fulfil their maximum potential, while feeling comfortable to bring their whole self to work.

We deal with all those we meet throughout our work with attention, courtesy, consideration, respect, and dignity and place this personal responsibility on each member of staff.

Our approach is embedded within our formal policies and how we do things on a day to day basis across every aspect of our work and dealings with colleagues, applicants, clients, and suppliers. We do not tolerate any form of discrimination, harassment, bullying or victimisation regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage, civil partnership, pregnancy, maternity, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion, belief, sex, gender or sexual orientation and we are committed to equality of opportunity and treatment from recruitment to training and promotion.

Recruitment

When recruiting, we endeavour to attract applicants from a diverse talent pool; our aim is to recruit and develop the best people for the jobs. We treat all applicants fairly and without discrimination and provide equal opportunities at every stage of the recruitment process and throughout their careers with Barker Brettell. Promotion is based on merit and demonstrated skills and ability in the role. All employees are treated fairly and without discrimination and given equal opportunities in their job or career progression.

Our IP inclusive pledge

To support, promote and monitor our progress against all aspects of our approach to diversity and inclusion, we have signed up to the IP Inclusive Charter, a taskforce established to drive and challenge diversity improving initiatives across the IP sector.

As a firm we have made a pledge and our senior partner, John Lawrence, has also made a pledge. John is personally involved in the IP Inclusive CIPA and CITMA Think Tank, which strives to ensure the IP community works together to make our community more inclusive, diverse, open, and fair.

You can read our pledge here and you can read John’s pledge here.

Supporting every day challenges

We take pride in supporting staff throughout their careers with us and as their lives may change. This includes those with existing or new disabilities or other health problems making adjustments where we can to help them in their day to day work; providing support through mentoring as well as flexible and agile working opportunities to all staff to enable them to achieve a greater work/life balance or to assist with child or elder care; supporting staff going facing big changes in their personal/emotional lives.

Physical and mental wellbeing

We place an important emphasis on the physical and mental health of our staff and have invested in a number of initiatives to support wellbeing, which include mental health training for our partners, accredited mental health first aiders, a cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme. We provide a quiet room on site for staff to fulfil their physical, spiritual, and religious needs. We also operate an employee assistance programme which supports employees with personal and professional issues, which is complimentary to the private healthcare scheme which covers both physical and mental wellbeing.

We are proud of what we have already achieved but we know we can never become complacent. We need to keep evolving and educating.