Raising the bar : Legislating to achieve diversity in the professions is only half of the story

Purpose – Argues that merely complying with legislation is not sufficient to accomplish genuine diversity and that, rather than assuming its benefits will naturally be derived and accepted, diversity must be approached strategically and its advantages communicated effectively to stakeholders to ensure desired outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – Considers the business case for diversity, presents a case study of barristers and examines the role of the national equality standard. Findings – Advances the view that multi-layered approaches to diversity are essential for its successful implementation. Practical implications – Highlights the strong business case for diversity in the workforce, as well as possible social repercussions from failing to ensure that workforces are diverse. Social implications – Underlines how young people in European and Anglo-Saxon countries are increasingly demanding to work with colleagues from varied ethnicities, nationalities and sexual orientations who are similar to the peers they socialize with. Diverse workforces have thus become central to talent attraction. Originality/value – Presents an interesting case study of barristers and diversity.