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23 September 2020 / Chris Bushell
Issue: 7903 / Categories: Opinion , Equality
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Diversity & inclusion: work in progress

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Chris Bushell, President of the LSLA, sees diversity & inclusion as a key priority for the legal profession. But there’s still work to be done

In my first speech as President of the LSLA, back in March, I said that diversity and inclusion needs to be a key priority for our profession. Since giving that speech, the SRA has published updated data on diversity and inclusion, COVID-19 has forced us to embrace agile working and, most significantly of all, we have seen the tragic killing of George Floyd, the shooting of Jacob Blake and a renewed, global awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement. While sadly not new news, it has been a stark reminder that we need to do more than just improve ethnicity statistics in the workplace. We need to take ownership and action around systemic racism, from which no country or profession is exempt.

We need to have a diverse and inclusive profession. That ought not to be a controversial statement. Our firms will be better places

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Partner joins commercial property team in Taunton office

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Londstanding London firm appoints new senior partner

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Commercial team in London welcomes technology specialist as partner

NEWS
What safeguards apply when trust corporations are appointed as deputy by the Court of Protection? 
Disputing parties are expected to take part in alternative dispute resolution (ADR), where this is suitable for their case. At what point, however, does refusing to participate cross the threshold of ‘unreasonable’ and attract adverse costs consequences?
When it comes to free legal advice, demand massively outweighs supply. 'Millions of people are excluded from access to justice as they don’t have anywhere to turn for free advice—or don’t know that they can ask for help,' Bhavini Bhatt, development director at the Access to Justice Foundation, writes in this week's NLJ
When an ex-couple is deciding who gets what in the divorce or civil partnership dissolution, when is it appropriate for a third party to intervene? David Burrows, NLJ columnist and solicitor advocate, considers this thorny issue in this week’s NLJ
NLJ's latest Charities Appeals Supplement has been published in this week’s issue
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