In 2016 we introduced a Global Women's Development Programme, our bespoke firmwide programme to support more women on the path to partnership. The programme runs annually with the aim of retaining high performing female lawyers, promoting an inclusive culture, and finding out what gender specific barriers women within our firm face. We were delighted that the programme won the 'Best Programme for Leadership Development' at the 2018 Managing Partners' Forum Awards and the Legal Week Diversity Innovation Award 2018.
We have achieved Mansfield Certification in the UK following our successful participation in the UK pilot programme. To achieve our Mansfield certification, we needed to show that at least 30% of the candidates we considered for a number of key roles were defined as under-represented – Mansfield defines this as lawyers who are women, lawyers from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, lawyers living with disabilities, and lawyers who identify as LGBTQ+. Although the certification is in the UK, we will be adopting the principles globally to ensure diverse lawyers are staffed on client matters.
We partnered with SunLaw to help them launch in the UK, and continue to support them as they expand their reach. SunLaw is a US-based community that supports, educates, advances, connects, and inspires women in-house counsel. You can find out more at www.sunlaw.org.
