BEST PRACTICE SERIESDIVERSITY & INCLUSION

IFLR | WOMEN IN BUSINESS LAW GROUP 1

That law firm leadership is defined by homogeneity is an undeniableand unwelcome truth. Attune to this, many in the industry havemade a push to ensure ‘diversity and inclusiveness’ is more than

just a mantra, and that the best talent is hired and promoted irrespective

of their demographics. This latest best practice series installment explainswhat some of the Wibl group’s sponsors and members are doing to createa culture in which difference is truly valued.

Looking beneath the surface

Arthur CoxBy head of HR Ruth D’Alton

As a firm we are committed to creatingand developing an inclusive and diverseworkplace where individuals are valued

and supported. Last year, the managing partnerappointed two diversity partners to head up thisinitiative. Since then, we have championed awide range of programmes to promote gender,LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender],ability and health diversity.

These have included the first Irish rollout offully paid shared parenting leave, the introduc-tion of a Helping Parents Booklet, two parent-ing courses, membership of GLEN [gay andlesbian equality network], and a series of talkson LGBT matters which have included somehigh profile figures. We also signed the DiversityCharter Ireland and have participated in a Eu-ropean-wide study on gender diversity at work.The launch of our Employee Assistance Pro-gramme, which has been very well received, fea-tured another high profile speaker on this topic.Going forward, our immediate plans includeholding focus groups with members of staff to

get feedback on how we can improve our diver-sity initiatives further. Initial feedback has been

that this programme is actively changing theculture of the firm in a very positive way.

DLA PiperBy diversity & inclusion manager Mitra Janes

When we talk about diversity, we're re-ferring to all the ways in which weare different – not just the differences

we can see, such as gender or race. Actually, peo-ple who look very different often behave in sim-ilar ways, either because they have been hiredbecause they ‘fit’ into a particular firm, or be-cause they have assimilated into a firm's culture.We need to focus on all aspects of diversity in-cluding working style, personality, talents, lifeexperiences and background. It is through nur-turing and leveraging these differences that wetranslate diversity into better business outcomes;for us that means providing a broader and betterrange of solutions for our clients.

All too often, organisations will focus on di-versity without considering inclusion. Failing tocreate a culture where difference is genuinelyvalued, where everyone is given an opportunityto contribute and have their voice heard can feelnot just unwelcoming, but in some cases hostile.

As human beings, we have a natural preferencefor similarity and we resist change. We all need

to challenge ourselves in this regard, by increas-ing our personal awareness and moving out ofour comfort zone.

At DLA Piper we know that unconsciousbias can impact all our decision-makingprocesses, from who we hire, to who gets pro-moted and who gets the opportunity to pitch.We are therefore focussing on unconscious biastraining, providing workshops for all partners,e-learning for everyone in the firm and incorpo-rating unconscious bias training into our CareerAcademy programme for lawyers and businesssupport staff.

We recognise that we have to be prepared tomake real structural changes rather than intro-ducing a series of initiatives. For us at DLAPiper, this has meant developing and imple-menting comprehensive diversity and inclusionaction plans in every region, and focussing onagile working practices, work allocation and re-cruitment processes.

We have championed a wide range of programmes to promote gender,LGBT ability andhealth diversity

Ruth D’Alton

Mitra Janes

BEST PRACTICE SERIES DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

IFLR | WOMEN IN BUSINESS LAW GROUP2

NautaDutilhBy HR manager Esther Ledermann and HR officer Coralie Gablin

In Luxembourg, 60 % of our workforcehails from overseas. It’s part of the coun-try's DNA to work in a multicultural team.

Our team is truly diverse, and we are convincedthat diversity leads to better results. We areproud that the first female lawyer in TheNetherlands, Adolphine Kok, worked at Nau-taDutilh. ‘Viewing matters from an unexpectedperspective’ has been the firm’s vision since1724. At Nautadutilh, we do not assess indi-viduals based on their ethnicity, gender or na-tional identity. Instead, our recruitmentdepartment focusses on both technical and softskills; to be at the top, we think and look fur-ther. We have a personal approach, provide in-dividual coaching, and view each candidate oremployee as a valued and unique individual.We respect all opinions and strive to identifystrengths, while leaving enough room for eachperson to evolve both personally and profes-sionally within our organisation. In our opin-ion, if you allow your employees to developtheir strengths, they will feel more secure andachieve their full potential.

We are all different and can learn from eachother. At the end of the day, we work and com-municate better, and can achieve the best re-

sults for our clients, as a team. Diversity andinclusion are the keys to a win-win situation.

Shearman & Sterling By partner Lisa Brill

S hearman & Sterling values and pro-motes a diverse and inclusive workplace– it is part of the fabric of our identity

as a global firm. In 1992 we established a diversityand inclusion committee to raise awareness andadvance the benefits of a work environment withvaried perspectives and backgrounds – both toour clients and to our lawyers and also to our staffaround the world. Shearman & Sterling wasamong the first BigLaw firms to take this step.

In 2000, the committee created a dedicateddiversity team led by a full-time global diversitydirector. The firm, committee and diversity teamhave worked tirelessly to promote diversity andinclusion within the firm and the greater legalcommunity, making our programme theconsistently award-winning initiative it is today.

Today, Shearman & Sterling is home tonumerous inclusion networks as part of ourcomprehensive diversity and inclusion efforts. Thegroups are associate-led and are open to all whowould like to participate. Our newest initiative isSterling Pride Ally, which was started by SterlingPride, our LGBT inclusion network. Launchedwith Straight for Equality in the Workplace 101,the first of a two-part programme presented byPFLAG [parents, families and friends of lesbiansand gays] in October 2014, Sterling Pride Allyadvances the discussion on how to be an effective

ally and the positive impact these efforts have onthe workplace and beyond. The value of ourinclusion networks cannot be overstated. Weknow that when people feel accepted and valuedas individuals, they are empowered to do their bestwork.

Our pioneering recognition of the need for adiverse set of perspectives, one that is trulyreflective of the business world at large, has putus ahead of the curve in our ability to align withthe priorities of our clients. Our recentrecognition by Bank of America’s legaldepartment with its 2015 Diversity and InclusionBusiness Council Award proves that outstandinglegal work goes hand in hand with an inclusiveworkplace.

Lisa Brill

Esther Ledermann Coralie Gablin

When people feelaccepted and valued as individuals, theyare empowered todo their best work.

BEST PRACTICE SERIESDIVERSITY & INCLUSION

IFLR | WOMEN IN BUSINESS LAW GROUP 3

White & CaseBy counsel Tallat Hussain

O ur gender balance objectives are in-cluded in our firmwide business plan,and integrated into our firm

processes and policies. We have found that thisapproach to align our focus has enabled us tobetter engage with our partners, associates, linemanagers and business services employees, andto drive progress towards reaching our goals.

In developing and implementing the diver-sity initiative at White & Case, we believe thatleading the way means looking outside the firmand into the communities in which we func-tion. Our pro bono practice is an excellent ex-ample of how our day-to-day operations as alaw firm and our core legal activities come to-gether and reflect our commitment to pro-grammes such as our diversity initiative. As thechair of LINK (the black, minority and ethnicaffinity group at White & Case in London), Ihave been lucky enough to work on diverse probono projects. The pro bono practice reflectsthe diversity of our staff as well as the numer-ous countries in which we have clients and of-fices, and of course, issues that impact women,children and other vulnerable or persecutedgroups. The practice focusses on access to jus-

tice, the rule of law and social and environmen-tal issues.

Going from strength to strength, White &Case has now started to enhance the outreachof the human trafficking database developmentwork we have been committed to over the pastfew years. The firm's anti-human traffickinginitiative includes more than 200 lawyers glob-

ally. They are working on matters including acomprehensive, worldwide online database ofhuman trafficking court cases for the UN Of-fice on Drugs and Crime, the creation of aglobal trafficking victims’ assistance hotline forPolaris Project, and surveying domestic workerrights in seven countries.

White & Case’s diversity also feeds the ap-petite of its staff to bring diverse issues to thefore and assist in the protection of our commu-nities. In this way White & Case links diversityin the firm to diversity outside the firm

White & Case linksdiversity in the firmto diversity outsidethe firm

Sidley AustinBy partner Steven Pitt

S idley Austin is in the business of sellingknowledge and advice to a sophisticatedclient base. As such, it makes clear com-

mercial sense to ensure we have access to themost talented individuals, and to break downbarriers to their recruitment and retention.Clients are also increasingly demanding (oftenas part of their panel recruitment processes oron pitches for new business) that firms they en-gage provide tangible proof of the effectivenessof their policies to promote diversity. Apart fromthe obvious commercial benefits, opening up theprofession to the best talent regardless of back-ground or other characteristics and, once re-cruited, ensuring that the working environmentenables them to flourish, is simply the rightthing to do.

Sidley’s diversity steering group is made up ofpeople from all areas of our firm; from supportstaff to partners – anyone who has a genuine in-terest in the promotion of diversity and inclu-sion. Through this group, the firm’s Londonoffice is now in its second year of partneringwith the BLD Foundation in its First Head Startand Legal Launch Pad programmes. The BLDFoundation works with black, minority ethnicand socio-economically disadvantaged young

people; groups which have traditionally been sig-nificantly underrepresented in the legal profes-sion.

Our collaboration is already bearing fruit,with two new trainees due to start with us

shortly. While they secured their training con-tracts on merit alone, had we not been part ofthese initiatives, we may never have had thechance to offer these talented individuals the op-portunity to become part of Sidley.

Steven Pitt

Tallat Hussain

Clients are increasingly demanding thatfirms provide tangible proof ofthe effectivenessof their policies topromote diversity

BEST PRACTICE SERIES DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

IFLR | WOMEN IN BUSINESS LAW GROUP4

With thanks to IFLR’s Women in Business Law Group's gold sponsors

Lloyds Banking GroupBy global trade lawyer Evelien Visser

T here are two obvious elements to diver-sity and inclusion (D&I). Diversity es-sentially encompasses all the ways in

which we differ. This includes both visible dif-ferences (such as gender) and invisible differ-ences (such as thinking styles, life experience andnationality). Inclusion revolves around valuingand respecting these differences, and the purposeof bringing these two together is to create a pro-ductive and well represented working environ-ment.

It is this richness of colleagues’ ideas, back-grounds and perspectives that makes our work-ing environment more attractive, and in turncreates value which enables the business we sup-port to innovate and anticipate the needs of the

diverse customers and communities that weserve. One of our key D&I initiatives is ourwomen’s network, Breakthrough. This is hugelyactive across all areas of our organisation, andarranges nationwide events such as Footprints inthe Snow which enable attendees to share expe-

riences and take inspiration from each other. Itis really great to be part of an organisation thatprovides an inclusive and inspirational work-place where colleagues can be themselves andsucceed on merit flowing from a unique and per-sonal skillset.

It is great to be part of an organisationthat provides an inclusive and inspirational workplace