Linklaters to offer D&I guidance with legal advice
Law firm Linklaters has launched a client offering which combines legal advice with business guidance on diversity and inclusion (D&I) issues.
The ‘ Diversity Faculty’ is designed to help clients manage the “often-delicate balance between legal, regulatory and governance issues and long-term business reputation”.
Simon Kerr-Davis, counsel in Linklaters’ employment and incentives practice added that clients are increasingly asking the firm to help map their D&I practices onto a robust legal framework.
The offering brings together experts from Linklater’s legal, D&I, human resources, talent management, learning and development and social impact teams.
Daniel Danso, Linklaters’ global diversity manager, said: “Now more than ever, companies understand, at board level, the importance of making D&I a cornerstone of their business strategy.
“The difficulty in achieving that in practical terms has led to an increasing demand for practical advice and hands-on support that delivers D&I objectives and provides legal certainty for businesses.”
In its “ UK Diversity Pay Reporting 2019”, Linklaters noted that it had exceeded its 30% target by 3% for new female partners appointed globally. The mean of its gender pay gap was 19.5% in 2019, down from 20.8% the year prior. Including equity partners, the mean was 62.6% in 2019.
At the time, Linklaters also reported on its ethnicity pay gap, with a mean of 8.7%. Including equity partners, the mean rose to 32.9%.
In recent months, several firms have introduced diversity targets. This includes Allen & Overy which, in August, set new diversity targets, which include 15% ethnic minority partners at the firm by 2025; 25% ethnic minority lawyers and support staff by 2025; and 35% ethnic minority trainees, including 10% black trainees, every year.
In July this year, leading UK law firms vowed to combat the career obstacles faced by black, Asian and minority ethnic lawyers by signing the Race Fairness Commitment. More firms signed up in August.
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