Diversity Report
The Council of the Law Society of Scotland on 25th June 2004 pledged a commitment to Diversity and Equal Opportunities and ratified a statement and one-year action plan with an aim to developing an integrated Diversity strategy to cover the next three to five years. The plan involved both ensuring that the Society meets its legal requirements as employer, membership organisation, and as a regulator and exploring ways in which best practice could be shared and encouraged within the profession. Further requirements for the Society, including the requirement to publish a Race Equality Action Plan, were placed on the Society by an Order of the Scottish Parliament in December 2004.
The Society is aiming to meet its commitments in various ways:
- A significant project has been instigated to audit all of our functions, policies and procedures (regulatory and otherwise) and “score” them for likely impact across all the strands (race, gender, disability, religion and belief, sexual orientation, age, etc) of Diversity.
- A training programme has been put in place for all Society employees that will be completed in August 2005.
- To ensure that the Society is aware of “best practice” an Advisory Panel has been appointed (with lawyers and lay people working in the field) to guide the Society in its work.
- The Society has committed to an “audit” of the profession to give it a demographic profile and ideas as to what issues may be relevant.
- Guidance is currently being developed on the implications of Diversity legislation for solicitors and firms.
- Finally, the Society is benchmarking from other relevant organisations.
Up-to-date information on progress will be published in the Journal. The Society will be launching its Diversity Action Plan (incorporating its Race Equality Plan) in autumn 2005 and this will be published on its website. Further information can be obtained from Neil Stevenson (Deputy Director, Education and Training) at neilstevenson@lawscot.org.uk or 0131-476 8360.