Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking Statement

Introduction

This statement sets out the steps taken by Doyle Clayton Solicitors Limited (“Doyle Clayton”) to ensure that slavery and human trafficking are not taking place in our supply chains or in any part of our business. Slavery and human trafficking can occur in many forms, such as forced labour, child labour, domestic servitude, sex trafficking and workplace abuse. Given the nature of the work that we do, we believe that there is a low risk of slavery or human trafficking having any connection with our business. However, we must not be complacent, and all staff have a responsibility to be aware of any risks in our business and in our wider supply chains, no matter how remote the possibility. They must report any concerns to the Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP).

Our business

Doyle Clayton deals with all legal issues relating to people in the workplace, from employment law to business immigration, from pensions to other corporate employment services. We are a workplace law firm.

We are UK based and have three main offices in the UK (City of London, Reading and Bristol) and satellite offices in Stockley Park in Uxbridge, Marlow, Oxford, Basingstoke and Plymouth. In our financial year ending 31 October 2024, we had on average 92 employees.

Our supply chains

Our supply chains comprise primarily services, including professional advisory services, IT services, legal knowhow services, cleaning services and office supplies. We have reviewed our supply chains and believe the overall risk of modern slavery is low owing to:

• The nature of the goods and services which we procure (mostly skilled professional services);
• The locations from which we procure them (in developed markets); and
• Our procurement practices (for example, we agree to reasonable terms and ensure timely payment).

Our policies on slavery and human trafficking

We have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and human trafficking and we are fully committed to ensuring that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains or in any part of our business. We believe in paying people fairly and properly for their work. This policy, our Corporate Social Responsibility Policy, our Diversity & Inclusion Policy and our internal policies reflect our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure slavery and human trafficking is not taking place anywhere in our business or supply chains.

Due diligence processes for slavery and human trafficking

To help identify and mitigate risk we have in place systems to:

• Identify and assess potential risk areas in our supply chains.
• Mitigate the risk of slavery and human trafficking occurring in our supply chains. We set clear expectations for our suppliers by informing them that Doyle Clayton does not tolerate modern slavery or any form of human trafficking within its business or supply chains and that Doyle Clayton does not allow harsh or inhumane treatment and we expect our suppliers to share our values.
• Monitor potential risk areas in our supply chains. Staff are encouraged to report any concerns to senior management.
• Ensure appropriate recruitment practices are carried out. We conduct verification checks on all new hires (including verification of identity, references, evidence of qualifications and criminal and financial checks).

• Protect whistle blowers. At Doyle Clayton, workers, customers and suppliers are encouraged to report any concerns related to our activities or supply chains. This includes circumstances which may give rise to increased risk of slavery or human trafficking. Our whistleblowing policy is designed to make it easy for people to make disclosures without fear of retaliation.

Supplier adherence to our values

Wherever possible, we require that all new contractual agreements with third party suppliers contain anti-slavery and human trafficking provisions. If this is not possible, we will conduct appropriate due diligence of our third party suppliers to ensure that they commit to ethical labour practices.

As part of any due diligence exercise during supplier on boarding or at regular intervals, potential slavery concerns must be assessed and addressed.

Training

To ensure a high level of understanding of the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking in our supply chains and our business, we will be providing training to appropriate members of staff.  
Our commitment

This is a voluntary statement relating to section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes Doyle Clayton’s slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending 31 October 2023. We are not legally required to make a modern slavery statement but we are doing so to show our commitment to tackling slavery and human trafficking in our business and supply chains.

This Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement will be reviewed by Doyle Clayton’s Executive Committee at least annually and may be amended from time to time.

Tina Wisener

Chief Executive Officer

Doyle Clayton Solicitors Limited