Creating an inclusive working environment and recognising the value diversity brings to the firm is key to our people strategy at Taylor Wessing; it's what makes Taylor Wessing a great place to work. Diversity in all professions is very important and the legal profession is no exception. The end goal for any firm is to create and maintain a supportive environment for everyone regardless of their background, culture or lifestyle.
Our trainees are involved in shaping out culture through our inclusion networks. These cover: gender balance, LGBT+ inclusion, racial equality, social mobility and physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Gender balance is one of our strategic inclusion priorities. Our goal is to achieve better gender balance in our partnership and in leadership roles across the firm. Our Gender Plan seeks to optimise talent retention, promote modern working practices and enhance our clients’ experience. Like all strategically important projects, our UK executive board reviews progress to ensure we're achieving our goals.
We exceeded 25% female partnership in May 2021 and continue to focus on the gender balance of our talent pipeline.
Our Balance in Business Network works to ensure we level the playing field so gender isn't a factor for career success. We host discussions and client round tables on issues that challenge expectation, the network sponsored the unveiling of a new piece of artwork at the Supreme Court celebrating 100 years of women in law.
Racism and racial injustice have no place in our world. Increasing the representation of people from minority ethnic groups at Taylor Wessing is our second strategic inclusion priority. We all play a crucial role in making progress and we launched our dedicated Race and Ethnicity strategy in 2020. Our cultural diversity network creates a safe space to learn from each other and celebrate our different cultures.
It works to encourage more individuals from diverse backgrounds to enter into the legal sector and remove any barriers they face to achieve their goals and aspirations.
Our commitment to working with Rare enables us to find more and better ways to overcome racial injustice. It's through working closely together, we can continue to challenge the prejudice and privilege which prevent us reaching our goal of a fairer and more equal society.
We're committed to providing a workplace where your talent can flourish and you can be yourself, no matter your sexual orientation or gender identify. Our LGBT+ and allies network, equaliTW, was our first employee network and exists to promote LGBT+ inclusion.
They run a dedicated programme of support and initiatives throughout the year, helping our people learn more about key issues affecting LGBT+ people in the workplace and wider community. We support Opening Doors London and established the Freehold network for the property sector in 2011. We're a Stonewall Top 100 Employer for the third year in a row and in the top 10 law firms on the list.
Maintaining a positive approach to physical and mental wellbeing is of huge importance to us. Central to this is a commitment to reducing the stigma surrounding mental health and disabilities. Our network helps to raise awareness of visible and invisible disabilities, creating an accessible and safe working environment and promotes wellbeing initiatives as a way of preventing the onset of physical and mental health conditions.
The network hosts regular sleep clinics, yoga classes, lunchtime learning with qualified doctors and psychologists as well as the support of over 65 mental health champions and first aiders. Everyone has access to the Headspace app. Our onsite GP and in-house counselling service provide invaluable support. In November 2019, we won the best new entrant category for the FT and Vitality's Britain's Healthiest Workplace for medium-sized companies.
Our social mobility network works to improve access to the legal profession through school and student outreach. Your potential, ability and talent – not your socio-economic background or schooling – determines your success at Taylor Wessing.
We open up opportunities in the legal sector and make talented people of all backgrounds feel welcome, along with supporting a number of powerful initiatives. We've recently signed up as a partner of the 93% Club. We're proud of all of our Social Mobility programmes and the impact they have on participants and our business. By supporting the 93% Club we hope to make our talent even more diverse, build their confidence, increase their knowledge of the range of careers in an international law firm and inspire them to reach their full potential.
Not every candidate’s achievements look the same on paper. That’s why we use Rare Recruitment's Contextual Recruitment System to consider every student's achievements in context, helping to identify those with the greatest potential, from all backgrounds.
We have an open dialogue around disabilities from the start; whether it’s discussing concerns about the recruitment process or our working environment.
We partner with MyPlus consulting to make disability confidence part of our student recruitment strategy, beginning with attracting candidates, through to assessment and onboarding.
Aspiring Solicitors:
To provide opportunities for students from under-represented groups, we partner with Aspiring Solicitors (AS). As a result, we’re delighted that 50% of our training contract hires have made to AS members for the past two years.
Each year we host events in collaboration with Aspiring Solicitors, share our success stories with other firms and take part in the professional ambassadors' programme which allows students to speak first-hand to our lawyers. Most recently, we have collaborated with Aspiring Solicitors on BASS, a Black Aspiring Solicitors Mentoring Scheme.
We are also partner members of myGwork, a business community for LGBT+ professionals, graduates, inclusive employers and anyone who believes in workplace equality.
Additionally, one of our partners is the founding member of freehold – the first network to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) professionals working in the real estate industry.
We also support inclusive initiatives through partnerships with 93% Club, 30% Club, Future First and PRIME.
Finally, we are a Stonewall Top 100 employer.
