Legal 500’s Post

🌟 Exciting News Alert! 🌟 Welcome to Look Up and Beyond - your dedicated platform for fostering diversity and empowerment within the Scottish legal profession! 👩⚖️👨⚖️ At Look Up and Beyond, we're committed to supporting both women and men from all backgrounds in the legal industry, with a special focus on retaining and advancing female talent. We understand the challenges that come with promoting diversity, and we're here to tackle them head-on. Here's what you can expect from our LinkedIn page: 📅 Upcoming Events: stay tuned for details on networking opportunities, workshops, and seminars aimed at professional growth and skill enhancement. 📊 Polls: Your voice matters! We'll be conducting polls to gather insights into what topics and activities you'd like to see more of within the legal community. 📰 Interesting Articles: We'll keep you updated with thought-provoking articles, news pieces, and insights relevant to diversity, inclusion, and career advancement in the legal sector. Join us on this journey of empowerment and progress. Together, let's create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive legal profession in Scotland! 💼✨ #LookUpAndBeyond #DiversityInLaw #Empowerment

I'm thrilled to share my recent article published by CEE Legal Matters, where I delve into the critical role of inclusion, diversity, and equity (ID&E) within the legal profession, especially in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). With June being Pride Month, it's a perfect time to highlight the importance of creating inclusive environments that foster creativity and drive sustainable success. In the article, I discuss the current landscape of ID&E in CEE, the benefits of prioritizing these principles, and best practices for law firms to champion these values. Let's continue to lead the way towards a more equitable future in our profession and beyond! #Inclusion #Diversity #Equity #PrideMonth #LegalProfession #CEE #Leadership #DentonsIDE #CEELegalMatters Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gmHs2r8z

Thank you Pavla Kopeckova Prikrylova and Alessia Oddone Wales to speak with wonderful panelists on such important topics. Please read Pavla Kopeckova Prikrylova's summary below, great takeaways on how to how to start diversity and inclusion programs within law firms.

Supporting Diverse Talent Networks and BCLP with this project from a PR perspective is fantastic for Exposure PR. This report is a must-read for anyone in the legal industry. Things can change and recognising the issues stalling change is a good start. This report (link in the comments) lays those issues out clearly. #legalindustry #diversetalent #partnersinlaw #law #pr #exposure

STOP THE TALENT LEAK Diverse Talent Networks (DTN) has partnered with the forward-thinking global legal firm BCLP to produce a report (link in comments) which helps us to understand the barriers faced by people of South Asian heritage trying to progress through the legal industry and how it can be made a more inclusive journey. The report shows that despite some progress, there's much more work to be done to improve the culture of law firms to retain people of all backgrounds. Based on our findings we have made six core recommendations that can help improve retention. Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete our questionnaire and take part in one-to-one interviews. By sharing your lived experience, you will help drive positive change. Thank you to BCLP - you recognised that the sector can always do more to understand the lived experiences of individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds and your support has helped DTN to produce a report with core recommendations that can help all firms continue to improve representation. This will help the industry move forward and retain more people of all ethnicities. I’d also like to thank an amazing team of individuals who helped produce such an important piece of work. Jinal Shah, Sunita Chawla, Lloyd Stephenson, Emmi Mäkiharju, Dan Whitehead, Deborah Lewis, Hector Fresneda, Lucy Hood. #Inclusion #Retention #law

BCLP is proud to partner with Diverse Talent Networks to examine the lived experiences of South Asian partners in City law firms.   This report highlights the significant underrepresentation of South Asian heritage partners, who make up only 50% of their expected presence. The findings underscore the reality within the UK's current legal industry, where many South Asian partners perceive ethnicity as a barrier to success. Key insights include:   🟧 Two-thirds of South Asian legal professionals reported experiencing racial discrimination at work. 🟧 Nearly half of those surveyed (46%) view ethnicity as a major barrier to promotion, including to partner level. Additionally, 38% see it as an obstacle to fair work allocation. Download the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eeuvB3Wg   #DiversityInLaw #Equality #Inclusion #SouthAsianRepresentation

This week, Charles Waples and Manny Janssens in the Legal Practice, hosted a roundtable event for General Counsels, featuring leaders from the financial services sector. The discussion was centred around #diversity, #equity and #inclusion (DE&I) efforts and shared experiences in the sector. We were honoured to be joined by Tiernan Brady, Global Director of Inclusion at Clifford Chance, and Florence Wong , Senior Associate in Clifford Chance's employment practice in London. Tiernan's rich experience, including his leadership in marriage equality campaigns in Australia and Ireland, provided invaluable insights. Florence's expertise in employment practice further enriched our conversation. Key themes that emerged from our discussion were: 1. DE&I as a social campaign: DE&I efforts should be viewed as long-term social campaigns rather than political ones. Just as community changes are built through consensus and broad engagement, sustainable DE&I improvements require firm-wide involvement and support. 2. Two-level approach: We discussed the importance of setting a minimum standard for DE&I that everyone can agree on, while also having aspirational goals. This dual approach ensures that progress is continuous and inclusive. 3. Advocacy over expertise: Being an advocate for DE&I doesn't require expertise. The key is to support and drive DE&I improvements, regardless of one’s initial motivations. 4. Empowerment over silence: The sense that it’s safer to remain silent or inactive on DE&I issues stems from flawed training approaches. True DE&I initiatives should empower the entire workforce and encourage active participation. 5. Engagement with the external world: Isolating an organisation from the external socio-political environment can hinder DE&I progress. Engagement and openness to external influences are crucial. #leadership #financialservices #legal #generalcounsel

Link to Register: legalcongress.com This session embarks on a thought-provoking exploration of the progress and challenges surrounding these pivotal societal ideals. Through a compelling narrative, the panel delves into the multifaceted dimensions of diversity, equity, and inclusion across various sectors and legal communities. Expert opinions, personal stories, and statistical insights converge to paint a picture of where we stand in the ongoing quest for equality. The panel navigates through successes, setbacks, and the complex interplay of socio-cultural factors that impact the advancement of DEI initiatives. It prompts introspection, raising crucial questions about systemic barriers, implicit biases, and the strategies needed to foster genuine and sustainable change. Ultimately, it aims to spark dialogue, inspire action, and challenge perspectives on the journey toward a more inclusive and equitable world. Join us at the Asia Pacific (APAC) Legal Congress to be a part of this insightful session. Register now at legalcongress.com

Interesting piece providing some insights into the important question of D&I within the legal profession.

STOP THE TALENT LEAK Diverse Talent Networks (DTN) has partnered with the forward-thinking global legal firm BCLP to produce a report (link in comments) which helps us to understand the barriers faced by people of South Asian heritage trying to progress through the legal industry and how it can be made a more inclusive journey. The report shows that despite some progress, there's much more work to be done to improve the culture of law firms to retain people of all backgrounds. Based on our findings we have made six core recommendations that can help improve retention. Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete our questionnaire and take part in one-to-one interviews. By sharing your lived experience, you will help drive positive change. Thank you to BCLP - you recognised that the sector can always do more to understand the lived experiences of individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds and your support has helped DTN to produce a report with core recommendations that can help all firms continue to improve representation. This will help the industry move forward and retain more people of all ethnicities. I’d also like to thank an amazing team of individuals who helped produce such an important piece of work. Jinal Shah, Sunita Chawla, Lloyd Stephenson, Emmi Mäkiharju, Dan Whitehead, Deborah Lewis, Hector Fresneda, Lucy Hood. #Inclusion #Retention #law