2 Temple Gardens
Diversity
At 2TG we promote ethical practices and socially responsible behaviour for our members, staff and other stakeholders.
Members of chambers are committed to access to justice and recognise the importance to society of high-quality legal advice for all individuals. Members regularly undertake pro bono work, providing wide-ranging advice and representation via organisations such as Advocate, the Chancery Bar Litigant in Person Support Scheme, the Employment Law Appeal Advice Scheme and the Free Representation Unit.
2TG is an equal opportunities employer and, supported by three ED&I officers and an active ED&I Working Group, it is committed to the promotion of equality, diversity and inclusion. Members and staff attend Bar Council training sessions on E&D and fair recruitment, as well as regular in-house sessions (most recently, on Race Awareness). We apply the E&D Rules in the Bar Standards Board Handbook and the Equality Act 2010, ensuring that in the recruitment of pupils, tenants and members of staff, candidates are assessed against relevant criteria only. Pupillage applications are anonymized before marking, mitigating circumstances are always considered and our recruitment statistics are robustly scrutinised and analysed by the ED&I officers. We strive to ensure that employees, pupils and junior members are given equal chances of training, career development and promotion. Chambers is a signatory of the Women in Law Pledge, tackling the issue of gender equality in the profession. In accordance with the Bar Standards Board’s equality rules, members and staff are encouraged to provide diversity data. This enables Chambers to analyse and publish an anonymous summary of such data.
We are committed to taking action against racism in all its forms: individual, institutional and systemic. We wholeheartedly endorse the Bar Council statement on equal treatment, the rule of law and inclusion here.
As a chambers, we want to create and support necessary, tangible change within our profession and our wider community. We regularly work with organisations, such as the Sutton Trust, Speakers in Schools and Bridging the Bar, to promote access to the Bar for those from non-traditional backgrounds. We are keen supporters of 10,000 Black Interns (10KBI), a new initiative launched in 2022, and hosted several interns in Chambers. Further, 2TG, in partnership with The Times newspaper, has run an annual national mooting competition for many years. The competition provides an opportunity for all students in higher education to compete, regardless of their educational institution or background. This year the moot has been extended to involve outreach work with local schools.
2TG is committed to improving and promoting the well-being of its members and staff. Our Wellbeing and Social Responsibility Working Group regularly provides information and organises activities available to all staff, pupils and members. We work in partnership with Health Assured, an organisation which is on hand to provide members and staff with support.
2TG is an environmentally conscious chambers. We tackle environmental issues such as waste disposal and recycling, energy consumption and maximising energy efficiency, and we constantly seek creative ways to reduce our carbon footprint further.