Atkin Chambers

Equality and diversity

Chambers is committed to respecting and understanding the cultural needs of its diverse and global client base, and is committed to equality and diversity in both recruitment and the provision of services.

Chambers operates under an equality and diversity policy in accordance with the Bar Standard Board’s Equality and Diversity Code.

Recruitment and equality and diversity

All applications (be it for staff, tenants, pupils or mini-pupils) are considered on merit alone. All selection procedures are operated without discrimination, that is to say without regard to considerations such as age, sex, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership, religion or belief, or age. Chambers aims to follow best practice with regards to disability and reasonable adjustments.

Chambers also recognises the importance of increasing social mobility at the Bar and looks equally at applications for pupillage and mini-pupillage from graduates of all universities and from all backgrounds and all sectors of the community with the ability and determination to succeed as a barrister.

Partly in recognition of the monetary barriers to entering the Bar, Atkin Chambers offers one of the highest pupillage awards at the Bar and the opportunity to “drawdown” in advance funding towards the costs of the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC). Chambers reimburses all reasonable travel expenses for pupillage interviewees and successful applicants to the mini-pupillage scheme can claim reasonable travel expenses and ask us to arrange overnight accommodation.

Equality and diversity at the Bar

Chambers welcomes the opportunity to work with other groups to foster equality and diversity at the Bar. Atkin Chambers supports FreeBar, a forum focused on LGBT+ people and their allies working at and for the Bar. A number of members of Atkin Chambers are founding members of The TECBAR BAME Network.

Chambers is pleased to support The 10,000 Black Interns Programme for 2021/22 which aims to transform the horizons and prospects of young black people in the UK by offering paid work experience across a wide range of industries, as well as world-class training and development. it is also pleased to be a silver partner of Bridging the Bar and to be participating in its mini pupillage programme for 2022.

Atkin Chambers is a signatory to the Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge and the Equal Representation for Expert Witnesses Pledge.

Pro Bono

In 2022 Atkin Chambers agreed to support Support Through Court as a “Changemaker Guardian” for an initial three years. In addition, Atkin Chambers has been a supporter of the work of Advocate (the Bar Pro Bono Unit) as a Pro Bono Patron since 2019.