Addleshaws, Freshfields and HogLov among top 50 employers for women

The list recognises businesses that offer positive working environments for women and also do external work to promote gender equality, diversity and inclusion. The list was compiled by Opportunity Now, a membership organisation for employers who are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for women.

Freshfields made it onto the list due to the range of diversity initiatives it runs. These include unconscious bias training, mentoring for female associates and free emergency childcare and eldercare for all London employees.

The firm’s HR partner Caroline Stroud said: “Like many organisations, and law firms in particular, we still have plenty more to do. There’s still an unacceptable gap between the number of women we’re recruiting at trainee level and the number who make it into our partnership ranks. However, we’re confident that our initiatives and commitment to changing this picture are starting to make a real difference and that we’re laying the foundations to produce results in the long term.”

Addleshaws partner Justine Delroy, who leads the firm’s gender working group, also said her firm has a lot more work to do to achieve gender equality.

“While we’re very proud of this achievement, we know that there’s still more that we can and should be doing,” she said. “Our gender working group continues to engage with the wider firm to determine what practical steps we can take to continue to develop our programme.”

That said, she added: “This respected award is great recognition of the work we’re doing to ensure that women at Addleshaw Goddard have every opportunity to succeed and flourish.”

Ruth Grant, co-chair of Hogan Lovells’ worldwide diversity committee, said her firm was included on the list for its commitment to engaging everyone in the firm with its diversity agenda and ensuring workplace policies and processes are inclusive.

She added: “Ranking in The Times’ Top 50 Employers for Women is a great achievement which recognises our commitment to diversity and to progressing gender equality initiatives as part of our strategy to create and maintain an inclusive working environment for our people.”

For more on law firm diversity, see The Lawyer Diversity Report 2010.