Farringdon Barrister Chambers

Anti-Racism Statement

Farringdon Chambers is committed to ensuring fairness and equality and has a zero tolerance approach to racism.

Our aim is for chambers to properly reflect the diversity of modern society which will lead to enhancing the best representation for our clients. We are committed to the promotion of equality and diversity and inclusion within Chambers, the legal profession and the community we provide services for.

We adhere to the Bar Standard’s Board Anti-Racist statement.

We regularly review and revise our Equality and Diversity Policy.

Chambers Equality and Diversity Officers are members of Chambers Management Committee and provide regular updates on policy.

We are committed to ensuring training of all staff and members on anti-discriminatory practices and to create inclusive working practices.

Equality & Diversity

Chambers Equality & Diversity Policy

Chambers will not discriminate against any person on the grounds of age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status(including civil partnership), religion, ethnicity or disability.

All pupils, squatters and tenants will be treated equally.

Members of staff will be respected at all times as will any visitors to Chambers.

No member of Chambers or employee will be discriminated against on the grounds of age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status(including civil partnership), religion, ethnicity or disability.

No member of Chambers or employee will discriminate against a professional client or lay client on the grounds of age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status(including civil partnership), religion, ethnicity or disability.

Any member of Chambers or employee believed to be discriminating against any other member of Chambers, employee, professional client or lay client will be subject to disciplinary proceedings.

A copy of that summary can be accessed below.

Complaints

Complainants Confidentially

At Farringdon Chambers members and staff maintain high standards at all times and take pride in the level of service offered.

Chambers does however realise that from time to time our service may fall short of what is expected, and therefore it is essential there is a complaints procedure in place.

Chambers is committed to dealing with all complainants confidentially, swiftly and sensitively.

Should clients wish to make a complaint it should at the first instance, and within 3 months of the matter occurring, be notified to the senior clerk, Mr Robert Archer .

Any complaints will be acknowledged within 72 hours of receipt.

All complaints will be dealt with inline with Chambers Grievance and Complaints procedure.

Chambers Grievance and Complaints procedure can be found below.

As a client you also have a right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman whose details are:

Legal Ombudsman
PO Box 6806
Wolverhampton
WV1 9WJ

Phone: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

The decision data on Legal Ombudsman website shows providers which received an Ombudsman decision in the previous 12 months. In each case, the data shows whether the Ombudsman required a remedy against the provider. Please click here for the data.

You can ask the Ombudsman to look at your complaint.

For any complaints prior to 1 April 2023, the time limits for referring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman will be not later than:

1. The problem or when you found out about it, happened after 5 October 2010; and
2. You are referring your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within either of the following: Six years of the problem happening or three years from when you found out about it; and
3. You are referring your complaint to us within six months of your service provider’s final response.

In specific circumstances and where fair and reasonable to do so, the Ombudsman can exercise discretion to extend the 1 year time limit.

From 1 April 2023, the time limits for referring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman will be not later than:

One year from the date of the act or omission being complained about; or
One year from the date when the complainant should have realised that there was cause for complaint.

Clients who have a right to complain to the Ombudsman are individuals and broadly speaking small businesses and charities. A full list can be found at www.legalombudsman.org.uk.

If you wish to complain about a barrister who is not representing you then all Barristers are regulated by the Bar Standards Board whose contact details are:

Bar Standards Board
289-293 High Holborn,
London
WC1V 7HZ

Phone: 0207 611 1444
Fax: 0207 831 9217
Email: contactus@barstandardsboard.org.uk
Website: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

See Bar Standards Board website to check which Barristers have a current practising certificate and/or any disciplinary proceedings.

Complaints Procedure

Chambers Complaints Procedure

The Chambers Complains Procedure provides for the resolution of complaints made externally to Chambers.

1. The types of complaints with which this procedure is intended to deal include:

Complaints by professional clients
Complaints by lay clients

2. Complaints must be raised within a period of three months from the date of the events giving rise to the grievance. The management committee may in its absolute discretion extend that period where there are exceptional circumstances giving rise to the delay.

Informal Resolution – Stage 1

3. Upon a complaint being received it shall be brought to the attention of a member of the Management Committee or, where appropriate, the Senior Clerk. The complainant shall then be contacted by a member of the management committee, or such other person delegated to contact the complainant e.g. the senior clerk or a member of the clerking team, to discuss the complaint.

4. If the complainant consents at that stage then the person complained of may be contacted by the Management Committee member and/or Senior Clerk to seek informal resolution.

5. A record is to be kept of all complaints, meetings held and any resolution.

Panel Resolution – Stage 2

6. If the complaint cannot be resolved informally or the complainant wishes to seek formal resolution, the complainant shall be invited to submit a written complaint to the Management Committee who will convene a panel to hear the complaint.

7. The hearing panel shall consist of at least three members of the management committee, including at least two directors of Dolphin Riders Ltd.

8. The complaint will normally be disclosed to the person complained of, unless on inspection it is clearly without merit or other exceptional circumstances apply.

9. The panel will convene in private in the first instance to receive a report from the member (or person delegated) about the informal resolution stage. Unless the complaint is dismissed as being clearly without merit, the panel will call a meeting at which

a) The complainant
b) The person complained of and
c) Any other relevant person, including the senior clerk, may be invited to attend.

10. The complainant and the personal complained of shall be entitled to be accompanied to the meeting by a friend or colleague.

11. A record shall be kept of all such meetings.

12. No meeting shall proceed in the absence of the complainant or person complained of unless they have indicated in writing in advance their intention not to attend or have refused or declined to attend on at least on previous occasion.

13. The Panel having heard such evidence and determined the facts shall either:

a) Uphold the complaint (in whole or in part) and, where appropriate, offer any formal apology or statement on behalf of chambers
b) Dismiss the complaint
c) Refer the complaint to an external body e.g. the BSB
d) Take any other steps thought appropriate.

14. NB: Please see the Code of Conduct (rules C66, C68, C95-99) for the circumstances in which the disciplinary panel is likely to refer a member of chambers to the BSB. This is broadly where the panel has material before it which as it stands establishes a reasonably credible case of serious misconduct.

15. The resolution of the complaint shall be put in writing to the complainant (copied to their senior partner or manager where appropriate) and to the person complained of.

16. Either the complainant or the person complained of (and any person accompanying them) may be excluded from any part of the meeting at the absolute discretion of the panel, subject to the interests of fairness.

Appeal – Stage 3

18. If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of the formal procedure and wishes to appeal, he/she must do so in writing within 7 days of being informed in writing of the outcome of stage 2, setting out why he/she is unsatisfied with the outcome.

19. The appeal shall be heard by the Head of Chambers and at least one director of Dolphin Riders Ltd not previously involved in the stage 2 procedure. They shall be provided with all records relating to the complaint and may also receive an oral report from any member of the panel.

20. A meeting shall be called to consider the appeal. The appeal shall be by way of review, not a full rehearing of the complaint.

21. Both the complainant and the person complained of shall have the right to attend the meeting in the same terms as paragraphs 10 and 16 above but either may be excluded from such parts as, in the absolute discretion of the Head of Chambers, is thought appropriate.

22. No meeting shall proceed in the absence of the complainant or person complained of unless they have indicated in writing in advance their intention not to attend or have refused or declined to attend on at least one previous occasion.

23. The appeal panel shall on hearing the appeal either allow the appeal (in whole or in part) or dismiss the appeal and in doing so may also take any of the steps set out in paragraph 13

24. The outcome of the appeal shall be put in writing to the complainant and the person complained of.

25. None of the above procedure is intended to act as a bar to the complainant making a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman or the Bar Standards Board. If such a complaint is made it may be appropriate to suspend any internal procedure of Chambers.

Diversity Survey

About you

If you are an authorised person for the purposes of the Legal Services Act 2007 (i.e. you hold a practising certificate issued by one of the approved regulators), please indicate your professional qualification(s) and role (tick all that apply if you are dual qualified and have a current practising certificate from more than one approved regulator):

Barrister	QC	1
	Tenant/Member	16
	Other (including Pupil)

If you do not fall into any of the categories listed above, please indicate which of the following categories best fits your role.

Any other fee earning role (e.g. trainee solicitor, legal executive (not Fellow), paralegal).
Any role directly supporting a fee earner (e.g. legal secretary, administrator, barristers’ clerk, practice manager, legal assistant, paralegal).
A managerial role (e.g. Director / non-lawyer Partner / Chief Executive / Practice Director or similar, Head of Legal Practice (HoLP) / Head of Finance & Administration (HoFA) or similar).
An IT/HR/other corporate services role.
Prefer not to say

Your role in your organisation

Please note that this question applies to self-employed as well as employed persons.

(a) Do you have a share in the ownership of your organization (e.g. equity partner, shareholder)?

Yes	4
No	14
Prefer not to say

(b) Do you have responsibility for supervising or managing the work of lawyers or other employees?

Yes	6
No	11
Prefer not to say	1

Age

Confidential when completed

From the list of age bands below, please indicate the category that includes your current age in years:

16-24
25-34	5
35-44	3
45-54	8
55-64	1
65+
Prefer not to say	1

Gender

What is your gender?

Male	11
Female	7
Prefer not to say

Gender Identity

This following question is designed to gather trans data i.e. whether your gender identity and/or gender expression differs from your birth sex. A trans person may or may not seek to undergo gender reassignment hormonal treatment/surgery.

Is your gender identity the same as the sex that you were assigned at birth?

Yes	17
No
Prefer not to say	1

Disability

The Equality Act 2010 generally defines a disabled person as someone who has a mental or physical impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on the person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

(a) Do you consider yourself to have a disability according to the definition in the Equality Act?

Yes	1
No	14
Prefer not to say	2

Ethnic group

What is your ethnic group?

Asian / Asian British

Bangladeshi
Chinese
Indian	1
Pakistani
Any other Asian background (write in)

Black / African / Caribbean / Black British

African
Caribbean
Any other Black / Caribbean / Black British (write in)

Mixed / multiple ethnic groups

White and Asian	2
White and Black African
White and Black Caribbean
White and Chinese
Any other Mixed / multiple ethnic background (write in)

White

British / English / Welsh / Northern Irish / Scottish	11
Irish	1
Gypsy or Irish Traveller
Any other White background (write in)	1 Jew

Other ethnic group

Arab
Any other ethnic group (write in)

Prefer not to say

Religion or belief

What is your religion or belief?

No religion or belief	6
Buddhist
Christian (all denominations)	4
Hindu
Jewish	2
Muslim
Sikh	1
Any other religion (write in)	Agnostic
Prefer not to say	3

Sexual Orientation

What is your sexual orientation?

Bisexual
Gay man	1
Gay woman/lesbian
Heterosexual/straight	14
Other	1
Prefer not to say	2

Socio-economic background

(a) If you went to University (to study a BA, BSc course or higher), were you part of the first generation of your family to do so?

Yes	10
No	6
Did not attend University	1
Prefer not to say	1

(b) Did you mainly attend a state or fee-paying school between the ages 11 – 18?

UK State School	11
UK Independent/Fee-paying School	5
Attended school outside the UK	1
Prefer not to say	1

Caring responsibilities

(a) Are you a primary carer for a child or children under 18?

Yes	4
No	12
Prefer not to say	1

(b) Do you look after, or give any help or support to family members, friends, neighbours or others because of either:

Long-term physical or mental ill-health / disability

Problems related to old age?

(Do not count anything you do as part of your paid employment)

No	10
Yes, 1 - 19 hours a week	3
Yes, 20 - 49 hours a week
Yes, 50 or more hours a week
Prefer not to say	4

Survey completed: January 2021

Contractual Terms

Please click here to download a pdf copy of our contractual terms

Policies