Policy paper

Government Legal Department Diversity and Inclusion Statement for the Bar on the use of Panel Counsel

Published 22 October 2026

Foreword by the Attorney General and Treasury Solicitor

Britain is brimming with legal talent. To ensure government attracts the very best of it, the counsel we instruct should reflect, so far as possible, the diversity of the public we serve. No profession can afford to draw from only part of the talent available to it. A Bar that recruits from every corner of society unlocks broader perspectives, sharpens insight, exposes blind spots in our thinking, and ensures more robust legal arguments. By supporting talented counsel of all backgrounds, we ensure the best possible representation for government, and help secure the health, vitality and future of the legal profession.

This Diversity and Inclusion Statement is more than a statement of intent; it is a shared roadmap. Our commitment is to break down barriers, champion underrepresented talent, and ensure that the Bar remains a place where merit thrives.

Introduction

This Statement sets out our commitments and expectations in respect of equality, diversity and inclusion in the Government Legal Department’s use of the Attorney General’s Civil and EU Panel of Counsel (the Panel) and, where relevant, to our use of counsel on other panels and to King’s Counsel who are appointed on nomination by the Attorney General. We are equally committed to supporting diversity on the Special Advocate panels, recognising that Special Advocates are recruited and appointed through a separate process reflecting the distinct nature of their role.

Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to securing the best representation for government, ensuring fair instructing practices and maintaining public confidence. We are committed to ensuring that all parts of our workforce are diverse and inclusive. We expect the same standards from those who represent government. We want to role model best practice in this area, taking the lead and driving improvement across the profession.

Our key commitments and expectations are:

• support for greater diversity across the Panel at all levels, working with the Bar to achieve this
• that chambers will provide equitable access to work for all counsel we work with
• ongoing and frank engagement with chambers and with counsel
• monitoring of compliance with these commitments and expectations, within GLD and from counsel and chambers
• engagement with chambers where our expectations are not being met.

Context

The Attorney General appoints counsel to the Panel through a rigorous, merit-based process. We want to ensure that all such counsel are used by us to the fullest extent possible.

Access to high-quality government work can be vital to legal careers. We want to attract talented counsel to join the Panel, remain on it and be able to progress through its levels because of the high-quality work we send them.

This Statement supports our shared vision of a Bar which is diverse, and where equality, diversity and inclusion practice is of a consistently high standard.

Chambers play a central role in meeting these aims, and we expect clerks and counsel to work with us to deliver them.

Instructing counsel

We are committed to the importance of making fair and inclusive instruction decisions so that we make full use of the talent available across the Panel. This includes making effective use of the regional Panel, helping to ensure that the counsel we instruct are better representative of the public we serve.

A fair spread of work supports the best representation for government and helps build a skilled, experienced and diverse pipeline across the Panel.

Performance, progression and development

We expect counsel and chambers’ clerks to engage proactively with the GLD Panel Counsel Team on performance, development and progression, particularly for counsel from underrepresented groups.

The Panel quality-assures counsel, but ongoing discussion about skills, experience, interests and ambitions remains essential, including where performance may affect future instruction or progression. We commit to having open and honest conversations on such points.

We will offer training, available to all, for counsel wishing to move into new specialisms or broaden the work they do for government.

Diversity across the Panel at all levels

Building and sustaining diverse counsel panels requires effective support from chambers to assist with the recruitment and progression of counsel from all backgrounds, recognising different needs appropriately.

Equitable access to work within chambers

We expect chambers’ clerks to apply this Statement and the Panel arrangements when allocating cases.

We expect chambers with Panel members to:

• provide appropriate training and guidance for clerks on the fair and inclusive allocation of work
• ensure fair access to the range of work available within chambers, addressing any significant differences
• monitor allocation of work across all protected characteristics and take action where needed, reporting any such measures to us on request.

Self-declaration of diversity characteristics

Applicants to the Panel must make regular declarations about protected characteristics and socio-economic background when requested. The data will be used on an anonymised basis.

Non-Panel counsel, including King’s Counsel, may also be requested to make such a declaration.

This data enables us to monitor representation on the Panel, the distribution of work and fee payments across different groups, and whether allocation accords with our principles on instructing counsel.

The information will not be visible to those assessing Panel applications and everyone may choose “Prefer not to say”.

Compliance and monitoring

Self-declaration data will be used to understand the diversity profile of the Panel and the proportionality of case allocation and fee payments.

Where necessary, we will ask chambers to evidence the measures they have in place to deliver these expectations and how they intend to address any underrepresentation.

Progress will form part of the ongoing conversation between the GLD Panel Counsel Team and chambers.

Governance

The GLD Panel Counsel Team manages the appointment and ongoing administration of the Panel, and oversees recruitment, selection, stakeholder engagement and induction.

The Team maintains strong links with chambers and accurate Panel data, and oversees performance, finances and continuous improvement.

The Team is also responsible for monitoring equality, diversity and inclusion. Compliance with this Statement will be reviewed regularly and issues addressed as appropriate.

Regulatory framework

These commitments are closely aligned with the regulatory framework set out in the Bar Standards Board’s Equality and Diversity Rules.

Compliance with those Rules is monitored separately. This Statement focuses on GLD’s strategic aims and the working relationship with the counsel and chambers we instruct.