Chambers’ social responsibility

Please click here to view our Equality and Diversity Policy. Our goal is to ensure that this commitment, reinforced by our values, is embedded in our daily working practices with colleagues, clients and third parties.  To that end, 4PB is committed to promoting diversity and equality, including by providing equal opportunities for all staff, members and pupils. We are committed to anti-racist practice. We have published a Statement of Intent in this regard, and we take the responsibilities identified in that document seriously. We promote anti-racist and fair recruitment training.  All those involved in pupillage selection are required to have such training.

Our aim is that all those who work or visit 4PB, whether they are barristers, pupils, staff, clients, suppliers or contractors, are treated fairly with respect and courtesy.

Click here to review 4PB’s diversity data, published in accordance with the Bar Standards Board Rules.

4PB (both collectively and individually) support a wide range of charities though volunteering, donations or fundraising activities. Beneficiary organisations are most commonly associated with our fields of expertise. We provide financial and practical support to a number of charities.  Recent initiatives include, 10K Black Interns, Bridging the Bar, Care After Care, Support Through Court and NSPCC as a result of running the London Marathon. Members of 4PB also played a key role in assisting the creation of a “Birth Charter” for Birth Companions, a charity which works to improve the lives of women and babies facing inequality and disadvantage

4PB was proud to win Advocate’s Pro Bono Chambers Of the Year in 2024, recognising its ‘outstanding contribution to pro bono work in the last 12 months’. Members of 4PB work closely with the Advocate (formerly known as the Bar Pro Bono Unit) to represent people who cannot obtain public funding and are unable afford to pay for legal services. A number of our members have been included in Advocate’s Pro Bono Recognition List for having completed 25 hours of pro bono work in a year.  Many of our members contribute more hours than that, representing parties and intervenors at all levels of court and at appellate level.

Our joint Head of Chambers Barbara Mills KC won a lifetime achievement at the Women & Diversity in Law Awards 2024, whilst Samantha Woodham won Innovator of the Year.

Many of our members mentor Bar students through a variety of programmes, including via the Inns of Court. We participate in 10K Black Interns, have links to Urban Lawyers and provide an advocacy course for candidates from Bridging the Bar. We are honoured to participate in the Bar Council’s Social Mobility Programme. The programme provides opportunities for bright students from disadvantaged backgrounds to see and experience life at the Bar.

4PB actively promotes the health and wellbeing of our staff, members and pupils. Our wellbeing team actively seeks initiatives to provide training and support.

We are proud to have been Awarded the Bar Council Wellbeing Certificate of Recognition. The certificate recognises Chambers that have demonstrated an emphasis on regular structured practice review for all barristers, have diverse and inclusive events for all and have taken steps to rebuild chambers as a thriving community. We offer regular seminars on wellbeing and stress management from leading practitioners, provision of a confidential helpline that can provide counselling, free gym membership for staff. We also have regular social events organised to promote wellbeing.

In 2022, 4PB launched a market-leading parental leave policy, which is one of the most progressive parental leave policies at the Bar. It is designed to support parents to advance and develop their careers at the Bar.

We have introduced a hardship fund for those successfully offered pupillage. In addition to the pupillage grant, we offer a means tested fund to assist applicants in meeting the cost of the BPTC fees. More information about our pupillage applications can be found here.

4PB has a commitment to reducing our carbon footprint. To this end we have established a Green Team who actively pursue opportunities to improve our sustainability by minimising the environmental impact of our operations, specifically by reducing waste and conserving energy. We are committed to using technology more effectively to enable us, where possible, to change our working practices and become paperless.

4PB seeks to build long lasting honest and fair relationships with our customers and suppliers.
Members and staff are committed to providing excellent legal advice and representation and maintaining the highest standards in all dealings with our clients. 4PB strives to consistently achieve fair and open dealings with our clients. We are dedicated to the improvement of service to clients by maintaining up-to-date IT and communications and encouraging members to use systems to capacity, and the improvement of the physical environment to meet clients’ needs. We treat our suppliers fairly and pay them promptly and take into account their CSR strategy when entering into contracts.

We want to do well by doing good. We aim to continue to develop a responsible business programme that will help us to have a positive impact on people, places and the planet.

There is work to be done and we are committed to improving ourselves and fulfilling our responsibility to the community in which we live and the profession in which we practice.