Diversity, Inclusion & CSR
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Becoming a more inclusive workforce is important to us, and as a global law firm, we are proud to represent a diverse and inclusive workforce at Addleshaw Goddard. We welcome and value the diverse cultures and backgrounds our people bring as these help shape our collaborative approach to solving problems for our clients and colleagues and focus on creating an open environment that works for everybody.
Our areas of focus for D&I are always evolving, and we encourage our people to raise the voices of underrepresented colleagues through our five people networks, AG Embrace (ethnicity), Open AG (LGBTQ+), The Ability Forum (disability), Social Mobility Volunteers (social mobility) and The Vine (gender). We also have two faith networks, our Muslim and Jewish communities, which colleagues can join. These networks now have nearly 700 members helping bring our inclusion strategy to life.
We also understand that our people can face a range of personal and work pressures that can impact their mental health and wellbeing. We're proud to be a founding partner of the Mindful Business Charter promoting a culture where people can speak up about concerns around their wellbeing. In addition to this, we launched the concept of Mental Health Champions (MHC) in March 2019, and have since trained over 50 MHCs who have attended the accredited MHFA England Training.
SOCIAL MOBILITY
We believe no one should be prevented from fulfilling their potential because of where they are born, the school they went to or the jobs their parents do.
To support this initiative, our Early Careers team use Contextualised Recruitment which takes into account the circumstances in which students academics results are achieved, and in 2020, we removed our minimum A-level requirement to allow a more diverse pool of candidates to apply for Placement Schemes/Training Contracts and Graduate Schemes at Addleshaw Goddard. We also partner with Aspiring Solicitors in an effort to attract students from a variety of backgrounds. These include, but are not limited to, state educated, ethnically diverse, female and first generation students.
We will continue to promote wider access to the legal profession, taking practical action through a variety of initiatives, including:
- Prime
- Social Mobility Business Compact
- Social Mobility Business Partnership
- City Solicitors Horizons
- BPP Legal Access Scheme
- Contextualised Recruitment (RARE)
- Aspiring Solicitors
- Law Scot Foundation
- MMU First Generation Scholarship Programme
- The Legal Explorer Programme
NEURODIVERSITY
Our aim is to attract the most talented students and graduates in the market and we recognise that a number of our applicants will be neurodivergent. We continue to take practical steps to nurture an inclusive culture, where everyone can feel confident about disclosing any adjustments that may be required and which will be treated sensitively to help us to provide the best experience for everyone through the recruitment process and when you join the firm. We have taken the following steps in a bid to achieve this:
- We have partnered with an external agency to review our assessment processes and materials to ensure that they are as inclusive and accessible as possible. Where changes were recommended we have implemented measures designed to remove potential barriers;
- Our early careers assessors have been provided with neurodiversity training;
- We have assigned one of our early careers advisors the role of adjustments champion; Alana Bathgate, who will be the primary point of contact for anyone who would like to discuss potential adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process.
We continually review our progress to ensure our recruitment processes are inclusive to all.
ETHNICITY
Attracting, recruiting, developing and retaining the best ethnically diverse talent is a key focus for us.
Our best teams are made up of people with a range of different backgrounds and experiences and we're proud that by 2027, 28% of our trainees will be ethnically diverse.
We take part in a number of ethnicity focused initiatives and events throughout the year to help achieve our aims and also by partnering with Aspiring Solicitors, target universities and other media partners to promote ethnic diversity in law. Here's a taster of what we have been involved in:
- Ethnicity.Talent.Law - partnering with University of Leeds and Manchester to offer in-office skills sessions and networking, highlighting AG's focus on diversity
- LCN Live -Manchester & London
- Aspiring Solicitors Culture event
- WCAN
- Lawscot Foundation celebrating Inclusion event
REMOVING BARRIERS SO TALENT CAN SHINE
A key focus for Addleshaw Goddard is diversifying our trainee talent. To do this we have partnered with an external organisation, Rare, to introduce contextual recruitment and accountability into our graduate hiring process.
Contextual recruitment looks at the context of academic achievement, and identifies students who have surpassed expectations or performed excellently in conditions of adversity.
We have also removed our minimum A-level requirement to allow a more diverse pool of candidates to apply for training contracts at Addleshaw Goddard.
We review your application without personal information to ensure we do not allow bias of any kind to affect the process.
We have also increased the training for everyone involved in the recruitment process to ensure that we select people based on their ability, potential and nothing else.
Sustainability and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)
We are committed to reducing our environmental impact and finding imaginative greener solutions for our business operations.
We are proud of the progress made, including a significant reduction in carbon emissions per employee.
We have also committed to the Sustainable Recruitment Alliance to find more sustainable ways to attract early talent.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
CSR is at the core of our businesses activities and we pledge commitments through our three CSR pillars: Access to Education, Access to the Profession and Access to Work, to developing the local communities we operate in.
Our CSR strategy is framed around our ultimate objective of Unlocking Young Potential and we encourage all of our employees to use their allocated CSR day, which involves volunteering towards varied CSR activities within their local community.
Pro Bono support
We are encourage our lawyers to dedicate various chargeable hours to pro bono work and we are proud of the work they do. As a firm we have dedicated our time to help fight climate change and supported other amazing initiatives that serve local communities.
Inclusion Report
As our business has grown, we have continued to listen to our people and use this understanding to develop our inclusion strategy across all of our locations. Read about what we've been doing in this space in our 2023 Inclusion Report.
Careers
AG is a law firm not a bore firm, where personality and individuality matter just as much as qualifications. You'll get stuck in with big projects and on international brands from day one. Find out more about our career opportunities open to you.