EXCELLENCE IN DIVERSITY & INCLUSION 2018

Reed SmithWINNER

Reed Smith has built on its disability affinity programme (a winner at The Lawyer Awards in 2015) to further increase its diversity efforts. Among other initiatives, it has relaunched its multicultural network and has ramped up its mentoring and reverse-mentoring offerings.

The judges found things to praise across the board in Reed Smith’s entry. Many were impressed by the fact that the firm now circulates scorecards for each of its practice groups and offices, measuring diversity metrics including headcount by title, attrition, new hires and promotions. The scorecards are tied to the Reed Smith’s new Management Bonus Plan.

The firm shows “a real breadth of activities across the full diversity and inclusion agenda that is clearly working,” said one judge. “Particularly impressive is the offer of work experience to more than 40 aspiring lawyers with disabilities as well as the focus on social mobility, and the launch of an innovative reverse-mentoring programme.”

Meanwhile, another was “particularly impressed with the LEADRS programme” the disability affinity group Looking for Excellence and Advancement of Disabled Attorneys at Reed Smith. “It is evident that a lot of time and effort has been put into addressing diversity at the firm.”

Highly commended: Barclays Legal

Barclays Legal is highly commended for its introduction of ThinkTalent, a work experience programme designed to improve employment prospects for students with autism. Working with the specialist charity CareTrade, Barclays took on five students on its initial scheme. Two of the three who have since completed their studies have since accepted roles in the profession, while the third has secured a vacation scheme.

Commended: CMS

CMS was commended for a variety of measures primarily aimed at women in law. It implemented a new maternity and paternity policy following its three-way merger, taking a ‘best of three’ approach to give employees a significantly enhanced package, including the option to take extended unpaid leave after the paid maternity period ends. Similarly, the firm’s Time Out! No questions asked scheme aims to reduce burnout by allowing workers to take a month of unpaid leave for any purpose.