The landscape of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) has undergone significant changes over the past decade. In recent years, global events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements, and the Cost-of-Living Crisis brought EDI to the fore and shone a light on its importance. At the beginning of 2025, however, in his first few days in office, US President Donald Trump reversed four years of work on EDI efforts in the federal government, leading to large US corporations rolling back their EDI measures and protections. This is thought to have a ripple effect on UK workplaces, although the extent and nature of this effect remain uncertain.
At this time, it is more important than ever that we, as one of the Inns of Court, demonstrate our unwavering commitment to EDI and continue our efforts in creating and harbouring a diverse and inclusive culture at the Inn and beyond.
The Inn has completed important work in this sphere over the last year and continues to do so. The work is led in large part by the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee. In 2025, the Committee will focus on race and ethnicity, in line with the publication of the Bar Council’s ‘Race at the Bar: Three Years On’ report at the end of last year. At the beginning of April, the Inn held focus groups to gain a better understanding of members’ views on race and ethnicity, as well as any perceived issues. The findings of the focus groups will inform the actions taken by the Inn.
Other work in the EDI sphere includes the continued rollout of unconscious and implicit bias training for student-facing members at the Inn, namely scholarship interviewers and advocacy trainers. The uptake and response to the training have been positive.
In 2024, the Bar Council commissioned an independent review into Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Harassment at the Bar, chaired by the Rt Hon Harriet Harman KC. The Inn was asked to give its views. In light of this, some changes were made to the Inn’s Anti-Harassment policies and procedures. Initially, staff members designated to respond to instances of harassment received additional training. Secondly, the Inn increased signposting to available resources, including Talk to Spot, Wellbeing at the Bar and Bar Council Resources. All students, Hall members and Benchers have been informed of how to access information on this topic and what the Inn’s policies and procedures are.
In December 2024, the Disability Forum held its inaugural event. Speakers shared the challenges and triumphs of historic and current disabled professionals in the legal field, shedding light on the obstacles they faced and the progress made towards equality at the Bar. The event was accompanied by an exhibition by the Archive Department, which offered a tangible and immersive experience that underscored the importance of inclusion and diversity within the legal profession.
In addition to the specific initiatives outlined above, the Inn is committed to promoting diversity & inclusion in its everyday work and processes.
The Inn recognises that significant progress has been made to date, but also acknowledges that there is still work to be done. We welcome any comments or feedback relating to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion by contacting the Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator.
Laura Hacon was appointed Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator at Middle Temple in August 2023. She previously worked as a Social Impact Executive, specialising in the ‘S’ of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) and before that, as an Initial Response Officer for a charity dedicated to supporting victims of crime and traumatic incidents.
