Azmi Rana is committed to providing equal opportunities in employment. This means that all job applications and employees currently working will receive equal treatment regardless of sex, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, or disability.

The firm will also have regard to the policy when marketing, instructing external suppliers and experts and to the strategies adopted for providing services to client and taking instructions.

The firm is aware that:

It is unlawful to discriminate against individuals either directly or indirectly in respect of their race or sex or disability. The Race Relations Act 1976, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Employment Rights Act 1996, the Industrial Tribunals Act 1996, Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Equal Pay Act 1970 and the Disabled Persons Employment Acts 1944 and 1958 are all relevant acts.

Codes of Practice relating to sex and race discrimination have been produced by the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Commission for Racial Equality and these together with the Law Society’s policy statement have been used as a basis for this policy.

The following are the kinds of discrimination, which are against the firm’s policy:

Direct discrimination where a person is less favourably treated because of sex, race or disability. An example is if someone is refused promotion on the grounds that he or she is black or disabled.

Indirect discrimination, where a requirement or condition, which cannot be justified, is applied equally to all groups but has a disproportionate adverse effect on one particular group. An example is where an age limit for new recruits may exclude many women of that age group because they are unable to apply for the job as a result of family commitments, or a requirement which is non-essential to the job description which may exclude a disabled person (such as the requirement for a driving licence for a job which is mainly office-based).

Victimisation where someone is treated less favourably than others because he or she has taken action against the firm under one of the relevant Acts.