“Diversity is not about how we differ. Diversity is about embracing one another’s uniqueness.”
- Ola Joseph
On the first day of my training contract, the HR department gave a presentation on the firm including the various committees we could get involved with. I knew I wanted to be involved with the Equality and Diversity Committee from the beginning. I thought it would be best to write about the committee so others may learn about the work that it does, as well as the various sub-committee groups that you can join as a trainee to implement some of the initiatives.
The SRA have reported the proportion of black, Asian and minority ethnic lawyers working in law firms as 21% (with no change since 2017). The largest firms (50 plus partners) have the lowest proportion of black, Asian and minority ethnic partners, only 8% (with no change since 2017). In 2019, 1% of lawyers overall confirmed their gender identity was different to that assigned to them at birth. The proportion of people declaring a disability working in law firms, 4%, is lower than the wider population, where disabled people make up 13% of the workforce in the UK. The proportion of lawyers identifying as lesbian, gay or bi-sexual (LGB) in law firms is 3% and there has been no change since 2014. 21% of lawyers attended fee-paying schools, this compares to the general UK population where 7% attended fee paying schools.
A diverse and inclusive workplace leads to diverse opinions, creative solutions, growth of a company and makes the work environment more enjoyable. Diversity is clearly an issue throughout the legal industry which every law firm needs to address.
The committee meets every month via Zoom and discusses a variety of equality and diversity issues. Anyone can join the committee and many people across the firm are involved with it, from partners to trainees, those who work in HR and IT.
The committee has an implementation plan which sets out all the initiatives they are working on. In one of my first committee meetings, we went through the implementation plan while reflecting on what had gone well in the past year and what further work needs to be done.
For instance, the committee is undertaking a research project to determine what race and ethnicity fairness and equality would look like, and what would be the overall best practice for implementing a diversity and inclusion strategy with regard to race and ethnicity; as well as deciding how to address issues of social mobility for entrants into the legal profession. The research group aims to create a report on their findings and draft recommendations to the committee. A survey was sent out which over 80% of staff completed, from which the findings will be fed into the research projects.
The committee looks into the firm’s recruitment practice and makes suggestions. For trainee recruitment, the committee has liaised with the training partner and decided to appoint an external person to look at trainee recruitment and whether apprenticeships should be incorporated to improve representation.
For Black History Month 2021, members of the committee created a brilliant magazine detailing what the annual event is about, and some of the black history art, music, literature and accomplishments that are celebrated throughout this month. It explained how employees at the firm could get involved by taking part in their Black History Month quiz or attending a guest speaker talk by Esther Odejimi-Ozukwe, Programme Director of #10000BlackInterns, through which the firm has signed up to take 2 interns starting 2022. One of my favourite parts was the section on supporting black-owned business in your area because I learnt that an estimated 40 per cent of black business owners have already closed their doors between February and April of 2020, which is twice the decline experienced by white business owners. The magazine provided a list of some local black-owned businesses encouraging employees to go, as well as books by black authors, and other resources on Black History or other notable black figures throughout history. Most importantly, the magazine encouraged employees to talk to their children about anti-racism and why black lives matter is important by saying that it is never too early to have this talk. We also received feedback that employees were planning on going to these businesses and buying these books for their children so it was having an effect.
Something I have found effective is when members of the committee have written profiles of themselves, sharing their background, personal story and pathway to law with the whole Firm; while focusing on themes around social mobility and race.
As a trainee, I assisted my supervisor in creating an inclusion calendar which will be rolled out in 2022, so the whole firm will be able to see different religious dates and significant diversity and inclusion events, as well as have the chance to learn about different cultures.
I have volunteered to help with the committee’s discussion group and plans for International Women’s Day. The discussion group encourages what may be difficult conversations and allows you to listen and learn about your colleagues’ experiences. Our next discussion group will be centred on women in the workplace so I will be finding resources to read or watch which can then be circulated for people to have a look at before the next meeting.
I have found that the committee takes a multi-pronged and all-encompassing approach to ensure issues are tackled from all possible angles. I have only spoken about a very small amount of work the committee does. Rather than being a board led committee, it is made up of and directed by various employees at Howes Percival. I love how the firm is focused on creating practical change, and during the committee meetings, we’re asked to reflect on whether we are making an actual impact with our initiatives. Even though diversity is an issue across the legal industry, I feel lucky that I get to work at a firm where these issues are given the attention they deserve.
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