RPC signs Race Fairness Commitment
City-headquartered law firm RPC has signed the Race Fairness Commitment (RFC) in partnership with Rare, which aims to combat the career obstacles faced by Black and other ethnic minority lawyers.
The RFC consists of a range of measures designed to ensure that firms' BAME employees have every chance to lead fulfilling careers. It combines quantitative data and close monitoring of employee lifecycles, from recruitment through to senior promotion, to identify points at which Black and ethnic minority employees might be unfairly falling behind their colleagues.
Partner and Head of RPC's Ethnicity Workstream, Parham Kouchikali, said: "I am delighted that we have signed up to the Rare Race Fairness Commitment. This not only underscores our core values of zero discrimination and equal opportunity for all but, importantly, commits us to concrete practical steps to monitor and champion greater racial diversity within the legal profession."
The RFC includes definitive steps to which all the signatories commit, for example, ensuring that race and racism are talked about in every induction and exit interview, and ensuring that junior ethnic minority lawyers have access to and sponsorship from senior management. Interview and offer rates, retention rates, pay and promotion rates will be actively monitored; and, where appropriate, published.