Diversity and inclusion
Being diverse and inclusive means we can attract the best talent, build the most effective teams, and deliver exceptional service to our clients. And most importantly, it means everyone is valued for who they are.
The legal sector still isn’t diverse enough. But we’re taking meaningful action to make measurable progress. Everyone at our firm should feel safe to be themselves and have their voice heard. We listen to our people and act on their feedback to improve their experience with us and ensure their wellbeing is protected.
By investing in programs for underrepresented and marginalized groups, we can effect systemic change. We design our policies and processes to be inclusive in how we recruit, how we retain talent, and how we help our people progress their careers with us.
We also believe in transparency about what we’re doing well, what we could do better, and how fast we’re progressing. Where possible, we collect and share diversity data, and use it to inform our strategy and activities.
And our efforts to diversify the legal sector don’t exist in a vacuum. We partner with organizations to promote equality and social justice in our communities.
One Voice Made of Many
Diversity and inclusion isn’t just about each and every one of us having a voice. It’s about the collective power of those many different voices together. Embracing the differences in who we are, what we’ve experienced and how we think. Promoting equality and progressing because of it. Together. One voice, made of many.
Celebrate
“I’ve been the only woman in the room on many occasions in my career.”
Empower
An inclusive culture requires inclusive behaviour throughout our organisation. This means supporting everyone we work with to grow and realise their own potential – leading to individual and shared success.
Our employee networks play a vital role in strengthening the inclusivity of our culture, driving diversity and supporting our people. The networks act as powerful advocacy platforms for colleagues from underrepresented groups, ensuring their voices are heard at management level and holding leadership to account for delivering on diversity goals.
The Iris network is the voice, contact point and support mechanism for LGBT+ people and their allies at DLA Piper. The network engages the firm’s colleagues, clients and communities on LGBT+ issues, working closely with external partners such as Stonewall in the UK, Pride In Diversity in Australia and the Lawyers for LGBT and Allies Network in Japan.
Iris Represents
Iris Represents is the pro bono wing of our LGBT+ network, pushing for fair legal representation and an end to discrimination for LGBT+ communities worldwide.
PACT (Parents and Carers Together) is a growing employee network in the UK that supports people who have caring responsibilities. The network provides information, resources and support on a range of topics, including advice about flexible working, as well as engaging with clients and communities.
In Australia we have the Parents and Carers Buddy Program, a support group for working parents and carers. Launched in April 2022, the program provides a platform for sharing experiences, seeking and providing reassurance, and discussing the challenges faced by working professionals with caring responsibilities.
“Nothing great comes from a comfortable place.”
Of Counsel, Africa
Commit
Diversity and inclusion is about creating a sense of belonging. We strive towards a workplace and culture where everyone feels that they belong, that their voice counts and that they can prosper in their career. We'll achieve this through leader-led sponsorship and role modelling, by enabling our people to use their voices and be heard, and by engaging our clients and communities. In the legal sector, not everyone has the same starting point. We must recognise this inequity and address it in how we recruit, support and develop our people.
“Work's not the opposite of life, it's part of life. I want our people to see DLA Piper as their professional home.”
Diversity and Inclusion goals
Our vision is to create a firmwide, inclusive culture, where our people thrive and our clients recognise us as best in class. There are many ways to measure this – one of them is to set ourselves Goals and KPIs, which we launched in March 2021.
- Our aim is for at least 30% of all Partners to be women by 2025 and we aim to double the number of women in our Partnership to at least 40% by 2030.
- We expect at least half of future internal Partner promotes to come from underrepresented groups from now on. This may include but not be limited to gender, ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation and socioeconomics.
- We will monitor our Business Services population to ensure it remains inclusive and representative, and where there are imbalances, address them head on through proactive and targeted recruitment.
