LAA EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY MONITORING FOR SQM HOLDERS

Recognising Excellence is required to capture the following Equality and Diversity Data for all SQM Holders which should be collected by the Auditor as part of the SQM audit process.

Guidance Notes Please complete this survey to reflect the profile within the office or branch that you work in. For example, in the instance that your firm operates from multiple sites/branches, the responses to the survey should relate only to the site/branch to which it was sent, and not the profile of the entire firm.

The majority of the questions refer to “those who own or have managerial control”. For clarity, these may be partners, senior partners, and principals of the firm or senior supervising solicitor. Individuals who own or have managerial control will usually be responsible for providing the broad strategic and operational management of an office (for example, identifying areas of work, allocating resources, determining office staffing levels, etc).

Where the question is raised regarding a FTE, this is to cover the scenario of where you have a number of part time staff, combining their total part time hours into a full time equivalent

Approximately what percentage of your office’s casework is funded through Legal Aid?
98%_____________________________
Approximately what percentage of your office’s income is from Legal Aid?
98%____________________________
How many people work in your office who are owners or have managerial control
2____________________________
In total, what is your office’s full time equivalent
0______________________________
Thinking about those who Own or have Managerial control of your office, how many are:
White
1______________________________
English
2______________________________
Welsh
______________________________
Scottish
______________________________
Northern Irish
______________________________
British Irish
______________________________
Gypsy or Irish Traveller
______________________________
Any other White background
______________________________
______________________________
Mixed/ Multiple ethnic groups
______________________________
White and Black Caribbean
______________________________
White and Black African
______________________________
White and Asian
______________________________
Any other Mixed/multiple ethnic background
______________________________
2
______________________________
Asian/Asian British
1______________________________
Indian
______________________________
Pakistani
______________________________
Bangladeshi
______________________________
Chinese
______________________________
Any other Asian background
______________________________
______________________________
Black/ African/ Caribbean/ Black British
______________________________
Caribbean
______________________________
African
______________________________
Any other Black/ African/ Caribbean background
______________________________
______________________________
Other ethnic group
______________________________
Arab
______________________________
Any other ethnic group
______________________________
Prefer not to say
______________________________
Of those who Own or have Managerial Control of your office, how many are:
Male
1______________________________
Female
1______________________________
Other
______________________________
Prefer not to say
______________________________
Don’t know
______________________________
Of those who Own or have Managerial Control of your office, how many are aged:
18-29
______________________________
30-39
______________________________
40-49
2______________________________
50-59
______________________________
60-69
______________________________
70+
______________________________
Don’t know
______________________________
Prefer not to say
______________________________
Of those who own or have Managerial Control of your office, how many have a long-term illness, health problem or disability that limits their daily activity or the work they do
Disabled
0______________________________
Don’t know
0______________________________
Prefer not to say
0______________________________
Of those who own or have Managerial Control of your office, how many are:
Not religious
______________________________
Buddhist
______________________________
Christian (all denominations)
1______________________________
3
Hindu
______________________________
Jewish
______________________________
Muslim
1______________________________
Sikh
______________________________
Spiritual
______________________________
Any other religious beliefs
______________________________
Don’t know
______________________________
Prefer not to say
______________________________
Of those who own or have Managerial Control of your office, how many are:
Heterosexual/straight
2______________________________
Gay man
______________________________
Gay woman/lesbian
______________________________
Bisexual
______________________________
Other
______________________________
Don’t know
______________________________
Prefer not to say
______________________________

Data Protection

Recognising Excellence is complying with current data protection legislation, the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 or any codes of practices issued by the Information Commissioner from time to time.

For the purposes of this agreement to carry out audits the Legal Aid Agency is the ‘Data Controller’ and Recognising Excellence the ‘Data Processor’.

The legal basis for Recognising Excellence for processing data is that of “contractual obligation” as set out in Article 6 (1) (b) of the GDPR.

The Client will be made fully aware of its rights under GDPR by reference to the Legal Aid Agency’s Privacy Policy https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/legal-aid-agency/about/personal-information-charter and the Recognising Excellence’s Privacy Policy http://www.recognisingexcellence.co.uk. Most commonly these are:

  • All information gathered during the Audit shall be held as absolutely confidential however obtained or learned from the Client in pursuant to or in preparation of, or obtained or learned during the term of this agreement, whether relating to the Practice or to its business or to any of its officers, servants, agents, clients, suppliers, or subsidiaries or to the business of any of the foregoing persons or otherwise, and whether or not expressly designated confidential;
  • Recognising Excellence shall not without the Client’s prior written consent use or permit or cause the same to be used save for the direct purpose of this agreement;
  • Recognising Excellence shall not without the Client’s prior written consent disclose or permit or cause the same to be disclosed to any person other than to those of its full-time employees and/or its Auditors and Verifiers who need to be informed thereof to enable Recognising Excellence to perform its obligations.
  • No case files or employee records will leave the Client’s premises and Recognising Excellence’s Auditor will destroy all notes/records completion of the Audit process;
  • Recognising Excellence on behalf of the Legal Aid Agency will securely retain any SQM related audit information for 6 years from the date of creation, for the period it holds the SQM license.