Attorney General and Treasury Solicitor publish statement on talent and opportunity at the Bar

The Attorney General and Treasury Solicitor have published a Diversity and Inclusion Statement for the Bar, setting out how the Government Legal Department (GLD) will work with chambers and counsel to support diversity, equitable access to work, and career progression across the Attorney General’s Civil and EU Panel of Counsel.

The panels bring together specialist barristers who advise and represent government on some of the country’s most significant legal issues. Access to this work can be an important part of career development and progression at the Bar.

The statement builds on existing good practice and sets out GLD’s expectations of chambers, including fair and inclusive allocation of work and support for the recruitment and progression of counsel from all backgrounds.

Appointments to the panels continue to be made through a rigorous, merit-based competition. The statement does not change the appointments process; it focuses on how GLD and chambers work together once counsel have been appointed, including how fairly work is distributed across the panel.

Attorney General Ellie Reeves KC MP said:

Government should be able to call on the best legal talent this country has to offer, wherever it comes from.

This is more than an ambition, it’s a plan for action. We are committed to removing the barriers that stop talented people reaching their full potential at the Bar, and to making sure the counsel we instruct reflects the people we serve.

Different backgrounds bring different perspectives, and that makes for better legal advice and a stronger profession.

GLD is one of the largest purchasers of legal services in the country and instructs barristers on a wide range of complex and high-profile matters. The way government works with counsel therefore has an important influence on opportunities across the profession, and on the diversity and strength of the legal talent available to support government in the future.