Anti-Racism
Training Module
The ABC Anti Racism training module was specifically written for Members of the Bar and Chambers’ support staff by Maya Sikand KC and Tayyiba Bajwa, both practising from Doughty Street Chambers.
Reach out to Sarah, our dedicated Training Manager to discuss your Chambers’ training needs
Anti-racism training is a vital part of professional responsibility at the Bar. It supports a legal culture that is fair, reflective and responsive, and equips barristers and Chambers staff to recognise and challenge racism in all its forms. Engaging meaningfully with anti-racism is not only about awareness, but about developing the understanding and confidence needed to act appropriately and ethically in professional life.
The ABC Anti-Racism training module has been written specifically for Members of the Bar and Chambers’ support staff by Maya Sikand KC and Tayyiba Bajwa of Doughty Street Chambers. The authors bring together their specialist legal expertise in discrimination law with lived experience, offering an informed and practical perspective on racism at the Bar. The module is designed as a foundational primer for those seeking to educate themselves about anti-racism within the legal profession.
The training reflects openly on the presence and impact of racism at the Bar, including the challenges of confronting a profession that has often viewed itself as “colour-blind”. It provides clear explanations of key terms and concepts, emphasises the importance of language, and explores how racism can manifest through microaggressions, racial stress and trauma. The module also offers guidance on identifying and challenging harmful conduct in a professional and constructive way.
Alongside this contextual understanding, the training addresses professional obligations and the ways in which anti-racism dovetails with ethical and regulatory duties. It supports participants in developing empathetic approaches to practice, understanding the impact of racism on colleagues and clients, and knowing how and where to access appropriate support.
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The training reflects on the presence of racism at the Bar, exploring definitions of various terms and providing guidance on challenging harmful conduct. The training module is foundational and is designed to be an initial primer for those seeking to educate themselves about anti-racism at the Bar. The training goals are as follows:
Specifically designed for the unique world of Chambers, our training’s authors are a leading KC and experiences junior barrister with particular interest and expertise in discrimination, and written especially for other barristers and Chambers support staff.
Devised with the busy barrister in mind. The content can be accessed on demand, 24/7. The total running time including the quiz is designed to be 45 minutes – which can be undertaken in manageable sections if preferred.
On demand content that is succinct and easily digestible, and training that can be completed even on the move – and can be left if interrupted and rejoined later on a different device if necessary.
The ABC training portfolio provides an unmatched combination of Chambers-specific training written by expert barristers practicing in that field; a user-friendly and easy to navigate e-learning platform, and a training provider renowned for its client-focussed and friendly approach.
Maya Sikand KC: was called to the Bar in 1997 and practises in public law from Doughty Street Chambers.
She is a leading silk in the fields of police law, inquests and public inquiries as well as Human Rights Act, discrimination, and tortious/personal injury claims against a range of public bodies.
She is a contributing author of Police misconduct: legal remedies (LAG, 2022); Human trafficking and modern slavery: law and practice (Bloomsbury Professional, 2020) and writes three chapters for Archbold (Sweet & Maxwell).
She has an MSc in Race & Ethnic Relations and currently serves as Chambers’ Equality and Diversity Officer.
Tayyiba Bajwa is a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers. She was called to the Bar in 2019 and previously qualified as a solicitor in 2016. She practices across a range of areas including criminal defence, civil liberties and human rights and international law.
She has been instructed on a number of cases engaging issues of discrimination, including the successful public law challenge to the Metropolitan Police’s Gangs Matrix.
Tayyiba recently spent 18 months seconded to the International Human Rights Clinic at UC Berkeley where she supervised clinic students on a number of international human rights projects and co-taught a seminar on international human law, including modules on racial microaggressions, positionality and colonialism within the law.
You’re in good hands!
