We are delighted to invite you to an expert discussion on ‘Driving Positive Action in Professional Services Firms‘, between leading partnership law, legal recruitment and talent advisory experts, on Thursday, 19 May 2022 from 9.30 am – 10.30 am BST. Please see below for full details.
There has been a renewed focus and gathering of momentum in respect of the need to drive long-term change in diversity and inclusion, both within the workplace and wider society. There are many voluntary measures that professional services firms can and should be considering, with a view to furthering their reinvigorated diversity aims, not only in respect of their employees, but also at partner level, who must lead by example.
The Equality Act 2010 allows firms to lawfully take positive action in certain specific circumstances; for example, to achieve greater participation of unrepresented groups who share a protected characteristic, such as sex or race. Firms are often reluctant to apply these provisions in practice, for fear of getting it wrong – particularly, in relation to recruitment and promotion. However, increasingly, clients and potential future talent are seeking out firms who proactively consider strategies to ensure that their partnership, and indeed their wider workforce, is more representative of society.
In this interactive session, our panel of partnership law, legal recruitment and talent advisory experts will explore the following issues:
- Is there a need for positive action for partners in law firms?
- What is positive action and how does it work in practice in a partnership context?
- What are the key pitfalls, particularly in relation to positive action in recruitment and promotion to partnership?
- What are/should firms be doing more generally to promote diversity and inclusion at partner level?
Date: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Time: 9.30 am – 10.30 am BST
Speakers:
Victoria Widdows, Director of International Legal Recruiting and Development, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP – Legal Recruitment and Professional Development Specialist
Phil Burdon, Founder, Donoma Advisors – Legal Consultancy, Due Diligence, and Talent Adviser
Tom Spence, Founder, Donoma Advisors – Legal Consultancy, Due Diligence, and Talent Adviser
Pooja Dasgupta, Senior Associate, CM Murray LLP – Partnership and Employment Law Specialist
Chair: Emma Bartlett, Partner, CM Murray LLP – Partnership and Employment Law Specialist
