Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Version 1.0. Last updated June 2025. Reviewed annually.

At Bovelle, we believe that inclusive recruitment is not a compliance exercise. It is the difference between a legal profession that reflects the society it serves and one that does not. Our entire practice is built around helping lawyers – particularly those whose careers do not follow a straight line – find roles where they can do their best work. That means inclusion is embedded in how we work, not bolted on.

Our commitment

Bovelle is committed to operating a fully inclusive recruitment and coaching service. We will not discriminate against any candidate, client, or individual on the grounds of any protected characteristic as defined in the Equality Act 2010, including:

• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage and civil partnership
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Race, including colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origin
• Religion or belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation

This commitment applies across everything we do: the candidates we represent, the briefs we take on from clients, the language we use in our communications, and the advice we give.

What this means in practice

For candidates

Every candidate is assessed on their skills, experience, and potential; full stop. We will not make assumptions about suitability based on career gaps, part-time working history, non-linear routes into law, or any personal characteristic. We actively work with candidates navigating career transitions, returning from parental leave, or managing disability or health conditions, and we will always discuss reasonable adjustments where relevant.

For employer clients

We expect our clients to share our commitment to fair and inclusive hiring. We will not accept briefs that set discriminatory criteria, and we will push back on role specifications or selection criteria that are not objectively justified. Where we identify practices or language in a hiring process that risk excluding good candidates unnecessarily, we will say so directly.

For our own practice

We hold ourselves to the same standard we apply to others. Bovelle’s own processes, from how we write job adverts to how we run briefing conversations, are designed to minimise unconscious bias and maximise access. We will regularly review our approach to ensure our commitment is reflected in our outcomes, not just our intentions.

Inclusion in law

We are committed to supporting lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds and to working with firms that take their own diversity obligations seriously.

If you would like to discuss how we approach inclusive recruitment or how we can support your firm’s diversity goals, please get in touch.

Responsibilities

Responsibility for upholding this statement sits with Bovelle’s principal. Any concern about conduct falling short of this commitment, whether from a candidate, client, or third party, should be raised directly at hello@bovelle.co.uk and will be taken seriously.

Regulatory context

This statement reflects our obligations under the Equality Act 2010. We operate in the legal sector and are conscious of the standards set by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) for law firms we partner with. We support our clients in meeting their own regulatory obligations in relation to equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Review

This statement is reviewed annually. If you have feedback on how we are living up to it, we welcome hearing from you.

Last updated: June 2025 | Bovelle | hello@bovelle.co.uk