EDI

We put our heart into achieving your equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) goals.

The Equality Act 2010 protects people against discrimination, victimisation, and harassment.

It is unlawful to treat someone unfavourably due to their protected characteristics - age, disability, gender reassignment (including gender identity), marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. However, there are exceptions, including for charities and women only organisations.

Our lawyers live and breathe our values. We also champion characteristics that are not protected by the Equality Act such as social mobility and caring responsibilities throughout our approach.

How we help

How we can help your organisation

We help charities, businesses, public bodies, membership bodies and other organisations to comply with their obligations (including as employers) under the Equality Act. We review and draft equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) policies and procedures. We advise on embedding inclusion in all of your activities, particularly where there are competing interests, including advice on lawful positive action. We can also advise on employee disciplinary action and claims against employers.

We undertake reviews for public bodies and large not-for-profit organisations which involve detailed analysis of existing policies, processes, practices and structures. We make robust recommendations for improvements while winning buy-in from key stakeholders.

 

How we help individuals

Our Employment and Dispute Resolution teams also help with bringing or defending Equality Act complaints and claims by beneficiaries, service users, employees, members, volunteers and other stakeholders.

Our immigration team also provide services specifically tailored to alternative families and LGBT+ individuals.

Explore

Briefing for Charities & Social Enterprises | 22 September

Our weekly roundup of news and updates from across the sector. To help you navigate this week’s content, the links below will take you straight to content by topic. Charity Commission The Charity Commission has updated its charity accounts guidance to reflect the introduction of SORP 2026 and changes to accounting thresholds which come into …
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Purpose & Impact: your round-up | September

Welcome to your round-up: a monthly selection of news hand-picked to help keep you up to date, for businesses, investors and others working to create positive impact. Jump to: Corporate purpose B Corps Social enterprise Sustainable fashion Climate & biodiversity Supply chain impact Impact investing Corporate purpose The Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership has published …
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Bates Wells Impact Report 2026

We have an ongoing responsibility to create lasting positive change through our work with clients and our operations. Our role as lawyers is to help shape the systems, governance models and legal frameworks that support a more sustainable nature-positive economy. Our 2026 Impact Report focuses on environmental leadership in action and the ways in which …
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Events and roundtables for purpose-driven and impact-focussed businesses

Interested in networking and sharing ideas with senior leaders and legal teams within B Corps, social enterprises, impact investors, social banks, and other kinds of purpose-driven businesses? We regularly host events and roundtables to discuss the ‘impact angles’ on key legal and practical issues, and share best practice across a range of topics, including: If …
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What you need to know about the new Charity Governance Code

The charity sector has had its own governance code for twenty years: the latest iteration was released today (check out the new Code here). It’s evolution, not revolution, but there are some important changes. We take a first look here: 1. It is still fundamentally what it has always been: aspirational best practice for charities. …
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Meet our team