BAKER MCKENZIE
LCN AWARD WINNER 2017 COMMENDATION FOR DIVERSITY
I t is a truth universally acknowledged within the legal profession that Baker McKenzie is an early adopter – and proud proponent – of all things diversity and inclusion (D&I). It is thus little surprise that the firm is this year’s recipient of LawCareers.Net’s Commendation for Diversity, the only firm to have been awarded it twice. The path was set from the very beginning – in post-war Chicago Messrs Baker and McKenzie founded their firm with the aim of making it truly international, and throughout its history Baker McKenzie has always looked outwards. It’s no surprise then that the firm lives and breathes the tenets of D&I. This is backed up by numerous accolades, including many relating specifically to the London office’s recruitment and training processes. In 2007 it became one of the first organisations in the United Kingdom to adopt a name-blind CV process, while in 2015 it became one of the first two employers in any UK industry to publicly commit to using Rare Recruitment’s Contextual Recruitment System (CRS, more on which later). In May 2017 Global Chair Paul Rawlinson voiced Baker McKenzie’s full support for gender pay parity – this was swiftly proved to be more than mere good intentions in June, when the firm was ranked 11th in the government’s Social Mobility Employers index. The firm’s affinity groups are wide ranging – from those common to many top-tier law firms, such as Women, Ethnicity, Opportunity (ie, social mobility), Wellbeing (including mental health) and LGBT, to an extensive LGBT Allies network, which over a third of the London office has joined; its objective being to support LGBT colleagues and to create an environment where people feel able to be themselves. Similarly impressive is the list of graduate D&I organisations which the firm partners with, including, but not limited to: Aspiring Solicitors, the BLD Foundation, Career Ready, City Solicitors Horizons,
2017
10
Best in Law 2017
LawCareers.Net
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