On 30 October 2017, Freebar hosted a best practice event at Gatehouse Chambers which was attended by over 50 people from over 30 sets of chambers alongside representatives from the Inns of Court, SBAs and the regulators.

The evening was chaired by David Wolfe QC (Matrix) and Brie Stevens-Hoare QC (Gatehouse Chambers) with Chris Edwards of Travers Smith, Rachel Reeves of Global Butterflies and Reg Keraj of Stonewall as panelists. The event began with a panel discussion sharing experiences and ideas about how organisations achieve inclusivity with a particular focus on LGBT+ individuals. The discussion opened out to all in attendance, allowing a chance to share common worries and generate ideas to be taken back to their respective organisations.

We have already seen a tangible impact from this event with many of the chambers who attended sharing their support on their websites and social media and thereby increasing their visible inclusivity.

 Freebar has produced a document to capture the ideas covered in the session. You can download the document here. The document contains a variety of top tips for chambers with a focus on inclusive recruitment, inclusive colleagues and an inclusive building. It is our hope that this will be a living document which will generate further discussion and ideas that can be added to it.

 As was reiterated at the event, all are welcome to get involved in the organisation of Freebar whether you identify as LGBT+ or as an ally. If you are interested in getting more involved, please let us know.