The LCLCBA is a proud supporter of the Black Talent Charter at the Bar, an initiative with the objective of transforming the representation of Black professionals in financial and professional services in the UK.

Please see below a request from Harry Matovu for views in respect of the way forward for the Charter at the Bar:

“From the early days of the Charter, several barristers’ chambers have expressed a wish to become full signatories in order to accelerate improvement in the recruitment and career progression of talented Black professionals across all sections of the Bar.  This aim has been accentuated by the data and other evidence presented by recent reports from the Bar Council and the Specialist Bar Associations, which make very uncomfortable, and often shocking, reading.  However, barrister’s chambers, with their formal constitution as unincorporated associations of self-employed professionals, and the Bar with its flat structure of career progression, do not readily fit the model established by the Charter to measure progress in the creation of better opportunities for Black talent to reach senior levels. 

We know from our discussions with various chambers representatives that several of you have been giving active consideration to this issue.  We wish to collate views on this, in order to develop an approach which will work for the Bar and help it to address the problems identified in the reports referred to above.  This may also assist the Bar’s leadership in its wider discussions of issues of race equity.  The collation of views and further discussion are something that the Charter is well placed to take forward, and we hope that you will agree.

We therefore invite representatives of any and all supporting organisations (Chambers, the Inns, the Bar Council and the SBAs or their working groups) to submit views as to the way forward for the Bar by email to me and to Laura Durrant (copied) by 1 October.  We hope that everyone will feel that they can discuss these issues freely among like-minded colleagues.  If, nevertheless, there are concerns about confidentiality or privacy, we can readily anonymise authorship, apply Chatham House rules or otherwise seek to protect confidentiality or privacy.”