We are delighted to announce that Garden Court Chambers has been nominated for four awards, across four categories, at the Women & Diversity in Law Awards 2024.
We are over the moon to announce that we have been shortlisted across two set categories and Grace Brown, our Joint Head of Chambers, has been shortlisted across two categories at the Women & Diversity in Law Awards 2024.
See our shortlisted categories below:
- Race Equality Initiative of the Year - Garden Court Chambers
- Social Mobility Initiative of the Year - Garden Court Chambers
- Advocate of the Year - Grace Brown
- Woman of the Year - Grace Brown
Garden Court Chambers is shortlisted for Race Equality Initiative of the Year. This award sets out to recognise teams, businesses and institutions operating within the UK with an initiative that has successfully promoted diversity, equity and inclusion related to race equality.
Garden Court Chambers is shortlisted for Social Mobility Initiative of the Year. This award sets out to recognise teams, businesses and institutions operating within the UK legal sector in any capacity with an initiative that has successfully promoted diversity, equity and inclusion related to social mobility.
Garden Court is proud of its commitment to diversity. We were founded in 1974 with a commitment to promote social justice and equality. Our founding members wanted to work in an environment with a balance of sexes and races and work towards justice for all. These ‘revolutionary’ aspirations have shaped our standards and we have consistently worked towards achieving social progress. Our motto: ‘Do right, fear no-one’, encapsulates this stance of achieving justice and defending the rights of individuals through an innovative and bold approach.
Our pioneering and award-winning mentoring scheme, ‘Access to the Bar for All’, encourages students from minority and disadvantaged groups to consider a career as a barrister. Sixteen-year-old students, girls and/or those from ethnic minority and disadvantaged groups are offered. In addition to having a barrister mentor over the five-year period, the scheme also awards scholarships to two students, if they study Law, of £7000 per year, over three years. We currently have two law students receiving these scholarships.
Grace Brown is shortlisted for Advocate of the Year and Woman of the Year. Grace is committed to the advancement of Black and ethnic-minority lawyers through doing what is right, utilising her remarkable legal skill to advocate for marginalised people. Grace is regularly instructed in Windrush cases and works tirelessly for this cause, frequently advising solicitors, community groups and organisations on these issues, often pro bono. Grace has challenged inequities and failings of the Windrush Compensation Scheme in the courts and has spoken at countless Windrush related events, including the Voices of Windrush Festival.
Grace is appointed to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's preferred Panel of Counsel, and is a Trustee of Haringey Migrants Support and Voice of Domestic Workers. Grace is a regular speaker at Black History Month events, and a mentor on the Inner Temple Mentoring Scheme and a Pegasus Scholar Host. Grace is our Equality & Diversity Officer, chairing our Race Task Force, and is a member of the Bar Council’s Equality & Diversity Officers network. Grace is also a member of Garden Court’s Board and ensures diversity and inclusion sit high on the agenda of Management Committee meetings. She is a committed mentor for our Access to the Bar for All Scheme.
The Advocate of the Year Award recognises have those who have made an exceptional contribution to the legal profession both through the quality of their legal work and their promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I).
The Woman of the Year Award recognises exceptional achievement by a woman in the legal profession. This could be due to a particular project/campaign/case/deal or it could reflect achievement in a particular role, such as the leader of a legal business.
The Women & Diversity in Law Awards 2024 will be held on Wednesday 13 March 2024.
View the full shortlist here.
