Foot Anstey awarded the National Equality Standard

Foot Anstey LLP has become the sixth law firm to be awarded the National Equality Standard (NES). This was received on first time assessment – something less than a third of businesses have achieved.

The UK National Equality Standard was developed by businesses to bring clarity and consistency to efforts to tackle inequality and promote inclusion. To be awarded the NES, an organisation must be independently assessed against a robust set of criteria against seven core standards. NES assessors review extensive documentation and conduct comprehensive interviews and focus groups.

The standard is supported by the Home Office and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Businesses that currently hold the standard nationally include Arup, EDF Energy and Thomson Reuters.

Foot Anstey has demonstrated a relentless focus on building a flexible and positive working environment, supported by structured HR processes. Their National Equality Standard certification is a great example to other organisations with a relatively small workforce of what can be achieved with strong commitment.

Arun Batra, CEO of the National Equality Standard and Director at EY

John Westwell, Managing Partner said:

"We are delighted to be joining the group of businesses who have also achieved this standard. The details coming out of our NES accreditation allow us to clearly determine our diversity and inclusion priorities within the context of our future firm strategy, to ensure strong outcomes for our clients, and differentiating career experiences for our people."

Ramsey Mirza, HR Director said:

"Promoting diversity and inclusion is one of the cornerstones of our people strategy. Importantly we have involved employees from across all levels, locations and roles within the firm in agreeing our action plan. We've placed particular importance on flexibility – currently over a third of our workforce operate on a formal flexible working arrangement with many more working flexibly in an informal way. We are looking forward to being part of the NES network, sharing best practice and making further improvements to our approach."