Everyone deserves to work in a place they are respected and treated fairly. Each of us needs to behave with compassion, empathy and kindness, and we should expect the same from our colleagues.
Diversity
& Inclusion
in all that we do
Our Strategy
Our D&I ambition
To foster a culture built on empathy and respect, in which identity is never a barrier to success and everyone is free to be themselves.
To always be inspired by the possibilities that diversity offers our people, our clients and our firm.
To reflect the diversity of the communities and societies we operate in, and to be inclusive in all that we do.
With diverse teams bringing new experiences and perspectives to the table, we can be more innovative, creative and pioneering for clients, and challenge each other to unlock new ideas and solutions.
Ensuring people feel they belong helps them be the best version of themselves at work. So they perform better, engage more effectively and bring more positivity to the workplace, which in turn makes for a more attractive place to work.
Why D&I at Bird & Bird?
Our diversity pillars
1 Gender balance
GOALS
To improve the retention and progression of women at all levels (especially Leadership and Partner level).
To ensure all genders are supported to reach their full potential.
2 Racial, ethnic and cultural diversity
GOAL
To improve the attraction, retention and progression of racial and ethnic minorities at all levels.
3 LGBTQ+
GOALS
To ensure our ways of working are LGBTQ+ inclusive.
To ensure anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+ is comfortable being themselves at work, without fear or hesitation.
4 Social mobility
GOALS
To provide pathways to success for people without the means or inclination to pursue a career in the legal industry.
To ensure anyone can thrive here, regardless of personal circumstances and background.
5 Wellbeing and mental health
GOAL
To provide full wellbeing and mental health support and remove the stigma of discussing and addressing related issues.
6 Faith
GOAL
To celebrate all religions and faiths.
7 Family and carers
GOAL
To help our people effectively balance their work life with family life and/or caring responsibilities.
8 Age and generations
GOAL
To harness the perspectives of people at different stages of their life and career, and recognise their unique support needs.
9 Neurodiversity
GOAL
To create a workplace that adjusts to people with neurodiverse conditions, enabling them to thrive.
10 Disability
GOAL
To ensure we are inclusive of anyone living with a disability.
Our approach to inclusion
1. Culture & Behaviour
CLOSEAIMS
- Empower our people to contribute towards an inclusive environment by focusing on embedding inclusion into everyday interactions, behaviours and decisions.
- Set the tone from the top, with leaders as champions and role models.
- Attract, retain and progress a diverse range of talent at all levels.
EXAMPLE ACTIONS
- Implement strategies to improve retention of under-represented talent at all levels.
- Embed inclusive leadership skills development throughout our global learning curriculum.
- Create tools and resources to support continuous D&I conversations.
- Collaborate with employee-led networks to promote a culture of inclusion and belonging.
2. Impact & Inspiration
CLOSEAIMS
- Use our influence and client partnerships to champion inclusion across our communities and the wider legal industry.
- Help clients progress their inclusion agenda while amplifying our own.
EXAMPLE ACTIONS
- Align ourselves with global pledges and charters that reflect our values.
- Proactively engage with clients and external organisations to influence discussions and actions on D&I outside our firm.
- Collaborate with clients and other law firms on programmes targeted at improving D&I across the legal industry.
3. Policies & Processes
CLOSEAIMS
- Design our operations to be deliberately equitable and inclusive.
- Use processes and procedures to enable inclusive decision making.
- Update key talent processes to mitigate opportunities for bias.
EXAMPLE ACTIONS
- Raise awareness of the different routes available to safely report and address non-inclusive behaviour.
- Achieve Mansfield certification in the UK – and use the lessons learned to replicate the principles globally.
- Regularly review all HR and talent policies to identify where they could be more inclusive and/or reduce opportunities for bias.
4. Governance & Accountability
CLOSEAIMS
- Set ourselves transparent goals that we can monitor and report against.
- Establish a governance structure and support network responsible for driving progress against our strategy.
- Ensure D&I contributions are recognised appropriately.
EXAMPLE ACTIONS
- Maintain a global network of D&I leaders to spearhead our strategy.
- Establish D&I as a collective responsibility, through weaving it into our performance and recognition discussions.
- Regularly monitor D&I progress via engagement surveys and data analysis.