Diversity continues to be a hot topic for law firms. It’s an issue highly relevant to recruitment and wider reputation, it’s also a question which is likely to crop up when pitching for new business.
The SRA collects and publishes data from firms every two years (it is doing so again this year) and legal directories are now shinning a spotlight on firms’ inclusion policies as part of their ranking processes.
In short, no law (accountancy or other professional services) firm can afford to bury its head in the sand. Public scrutiny of this area is only going to grow; in June this year, the CBI, TUC and Equality and Human Rights Commission called on the government to introduce mandatory ethnic pay gap reporting, it is likely to be only a matter of time before this happens.
Where there is a good story to tell, diversity can be a rich seam of positive PR. The problems start where firms are simply paying lip service or, worse, are failing to practice what they preach.
No organisation can afford to be less than sincere in its efforts to improve inclusion. Simply setting up a committee or publishing targets won’t cut it and fakery will be rumbled very quickly! A lacklustre approach could be a PR disaster, especially if picked-up by social media.
So, how can you make sure your law firm not only lives by its stated values on diversity but, also promotes its positive behaviours effectively?
Take a long hard look
The first step involves asking some searching questions about your current baseline:
How diverse is our law firm today? How do we want to change? What does adequate diversity look like? What are we doing to bring about change? How are we explaining what we are doing? Is this enough, could we do more? Could we communicate our efforts more effectively?
Diversity is multi-faceted
It may sound obvious but diversity is, well, diverse! It’s not just about how many women are getting to partnership and how many BAME lawyers you recruit each year. Have you thought about what you can do to assist disabled lawyers to apply and progress within your firm? Do you encourage students from less traditional social and education backgrounds to sign-up for your summer schemes? All of these strands are relevant so be careful not to focus too much on one to the exclusion others. The whole is greater than the sum of all the parts so, take an holistic approach; organisational culture and leadership values are crucial to ensure diversity becomes embedded.
Rome wasn’t built in a day
Even the best PR professionals can’t sell something that doesn’t exist and diversification is not something that will happen overnight. Admitting that you have work to do is not a negative story, it’s honest and authentic. Indeed, the story shouldn’t be about the difficulties of where you are starting from but, how you are going to get to your destination. Focus on the strategies you are putting in place today and the rewards you expect to reap in the future.
Exposure, exposure, exposure
How visible are your relevant lawyers? For example, could your firm do more to generate media coverage for its BAME lawyers by putting them forward to write articles and blogs – perhaps by specifically ring fencing some of the marketing budget for this purpose?
Is anyone monitoring how opportunities to write in legal, trade and other media publications are allocated and who is representing the firm on those channels to make sure they are spread around a diverse cohort?
The same principle applies to conferences, seminars and other speaking opportunities in the sectors which are important to the firm’s interests. Who is representing you at networking and business development events?
Making sure a broad cross-section of the firm is asked to represent it at prestigious, external events for example, by sitting on a panel or being nominated for an award – and not just those devoted to diversity – is an important way to signal the firm’s diverse culture.
It’s all very well asking people to become thought leaders but, do your minority lawyers feel comfortable being vocal about diversity issues in the legal profession? Maybe they need some reassurance before speaking out on this sensitive topic? Think creatively about how to show your support and encouragement in this area.
Finally, while it’s always great to turn-up with a balanced team at any pitch for new work, this needs to be authentic, make sure that a diverse range of lawyers will actually be working on the job if you are successful.
Recruitment is where it all begins
Those considering applying to your firm for training and other contracts are likely to do their research on this topic so make sure your website is an appropriate “shop front” for your efforts.
Many firms have a dedicated page for diversity and inclusion which is fine but, just make sure it is up-to-date – references to awards from 5 years ago suggest you are not investing the resources in this area! Information which could be given, includes:
- any diversity organisation the firm belongs to or supports (and what it does).
- Any mentoring associations the firm is involved with such as in schools or to promote women, disabled or BAME lawyers.
- Any recent awards for diversity work.
- Any diversity role that your lawyers hold such as being a trustee of a diversity charity or any involvement in campaigning on diversity matters.
- Details of any specific initiatives at the firm for example, a women’s network.
It was once said that, “you can’t be what you don’t see”, so include pictures which reflect the diversity of the firm or, how you would like it to be.
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