ILPA Black Lives Matter Roundtable Series

Challenging Racism: power, insult and microagressions in the workplace

with Andrea Als, Partner at PwC and ILPA Trustee, Professor Leslie Thomas QC, Garden Court Chambers and Professor of Law at Gresham College, Unkha Banda, Solicitor at Praxis Community Projects and ILPA BAME Working Group Co-convenor and Raggi Kotak, Barrister at One Pump Court Chambers

When analysing the results of our ‘ILPA explores racism in the immigration sector‘ survey, time and time again the issue of microaggressions and the subtleties of racism and were raised by you. With 66% of respondents saying that they did not have the necessary knowledge and skills available to them to adequately address racism when they experienced it first hand we wanted to facilitate a space to discuss these issues. This session will explore the definition of microagressions, the subtleties of racism, and will be a space in which to share experiences and highlight some anecdotal evidence from our survey results. 

These result’s highlight the uncomfortable truth of the prevalence of racism within the immigration sector, and ultimately aims:
1. to listen, highlight and validate people’s lived experience of microagressions in the workplace. To recognise microagressions for what they are;
2. to share techniques and strategies for action against microagressions;
3. to better equip white allies to recognise microagressions and have those difficult conversations when you observe racism in the workplace, no matter how subtle.

Black Minds Matter: Mental Health and Well-Being resources for Black Practitioners and POC

with Andrea Als, Partner at PwC and ILPA Trustee, Anna Robinson of Anna Robinson Therapy and Shannett Thompson, Partner at Kingsley Napley 

The ILPA BAME Working Group and the ILPA Well-being Working Group are collaborating to host a session on mental health in Immigration Law and its intersection with being a Black person or a Person of Colour in the sector. This session is first and foremost a space for our Black members to come together, it is designed to destigmatise the idea of talking about mental health within the sector and also provide useful tools and resources that can then be put into practice in daily life. We have out together a new page on the ILPA well-being resources hub on Mental Health Resources for Black people and PoC. Please let us know if there any additional resources you would like us to add. 

Race, BLM and legal sector-where next? 

with Binder Bansel, Partner in the employment team at Penningtons Manches Cooper and Julie Moktadir, Partner in the immigration team at Stone King

Race, Class and Social Mobility

with Andrea Als – PwC, Franck Kiangala – North Kensington Law Centre, Grace Brown – Garden Court Chambers, Ahmad Namazie – Magrath Sheldrick and Ian Robinson – Fragomen

We are continuing our Black Lives Matter series with the next roundtable: Race, Class and Social Mobility. In this session we will be discussing access to the legal sector, in particular looking at how race and class intersect to create unique barriers to entry into the sector and promotion once in the sector. The session aims to cater to junior practitioners entering the sector by giving guidance and tips from our experienced panellists, but also will offer senior practitioners insight into how we can overcome barriers to the sector for disadvantaged groups. 

The session will draw from our panel’s personal journeys into law and include practical suggestions for how to overcome these to ultimately make the legal sector a more inclusive, diverse and accessible place to work.