A review of Bullying, Harassment and Inappropriate Behaviour at the Bar
Hosted by the Northern Circuit Equality, Diversity and Social Mobility Committee
26th September 2024 at 5pm
In-person at Exchange Chambers, Manchester, and live-streamed
We are pleased to invite all members of Circuit to joint us for a discussion on the systemic issues of bullying, harassment and discrimination at the Bar. This session will be of particular importance to those members of Circuit involved with the management of their chambers or their chambers’ work on Equality and Diversity (including EDOs).
Inappropriate behaviours at the Bar are endemic. The most recent Bar Council research on bullying, harassment and discrimination (published at the end of 2023) suggests almost half of barristers had experienced or witnessed inappropriate behaviours in the past two years. That prompted the Bar Council to commission an independent review of bullying and harassment at the bar, chaired by Rt Hon Harriet Harman KC.
The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary are a step ahead of the Bar on this issue, with the LCJ having introduced a ‘statement of expected behaviour’ and compulsory training on avoiding inappropriate behaviours for all salaried judges in 2023.
This session will explore the Bar’s systemic problems with bullying, harassment and discrimination and ask what we can learn from the pro-active approach of the judiciary to this issue. We are delighted to have as our key speakers at the event:
- Upper Tribunal Judge Melanie Plimmer, President of the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber)
- His Honour Judge Nigel Bird Designated Civil Judge for Greater Manchester
Please register at this link, indicating whether you will be attending in person or via video-link. A link will be sent to all remote attendees in the week before the session.
Those attending in person can join us for tea and coffee from 4:30pm, with the session commencing at 5pm and lasting for about one hour.