COMMENDATION FOR DIVERSITY
DiversCity, MyPlus Students’ Club, PRIME and Rare. Central to these efforts is a crack team of D&I flag bearers from the graduate recruitment and inclusion & diversity teams. Trainee Ellie Austin- Williams has nothing but praise for the team: “I don’t think the firm would be where it is today without them. They are so passionate about what they do and it is infectious. People want to be involved because of them. There is always going to be a lot more to do on diversity, but the firm has made a lot of progress and genuinely does what it says – we really do walk the walk.” Baker McKenzie’s credentials are there for all to see. In fact, that visibility is one of the things that often prompts would-be trainees to apply. Jonathan Tham, now a first-seat trainee in corporate M&A, agrees. “I am Chinese and was born abroad,” he explains. “What attracted me to BakerMcKenzie was that I could see people like me in senior positions. I felt that there wouldn’t be a ceiling and that I could go as far as I wanted to.” His time on the firm’s spring vacation scheme confirmed this impression. “During the scheme we had a talk on D&I and a separate one on CSR. It showed how much emphasis and value was placed on both, but also that they are considered distinct from one another. At Baker McKenzie, diversity is not just about doing the right thing, it is a core strategic focus and seen as critical to the firm’s success.” Chloe Quirk, an employment with D&I initiatives. “When I was on the vacation scheme in 2010, we were told about the various diversity initiatives and we were welcomed to get involved,” she recalls. “But now it’s even more so – students are invited to events, encouraged to voice their ideas, and stay involved beyond the scheme.” Sam Manful, a banking associate who joined Baker McKenzie as a lateral hire from a magic circle firm, agrees: “Just last week, we had vac scheme students helping at our social mobility event – they were told that even though they’re here temporarily, if they’re interested in what we’re doing, they should stay in touch and remain involved.” This brings us neatly on to one associate, describes how Baker McKenzie has ramped up its approach to encouraging vacation scheme students to become involved
of the firm’s most recent D&I events. Planned and executed by Chloe and Sam, it is a shining example of how people are encouraged to take an initiative and run with it. Chloe explains its genesis: “Having joined several D&I initiatives as a trainee, I started to take a more active role in the firm’s social mobility network, joining the sub-committee of the ‘Back to School’ project. The scheme encourages staff to use their annual volunteer day to visit their former school, especially if it’s a state school in a social mobility cold spot, to tell their story and to give an insight into what it is like to work in a City law firm. Inspired by ‘Back to School’, Sam and I reached out to our sixth form college in Essex, and organised an open afternoon for around 50 sixth form students. The students attended a range of skills sessions including a negotiation workshop and panel discussion, and had the opportunity to meet lots of people from the firm.” Sam continues: “When I discussed the viability of an open day for our college, there was a refreshing amount
of support from the firm; it is very aware of its wider responsibilities and it does a lot to allow all members of staff to make a difference. The event took a lot of planning and hard work – we started in September and it culminated in January, and was a huge success. The level of engagement from the firm was great – not just from our inclusion & diversity team, but from within my own department, including people who hadn’t engaged with any social mobility events before.” “It was great to meet the students and to give them an opportunity to visit the office. I had previously returned to my sixth form college as part of the ‘Back to School’ initiative, but I wanted to go one stage further,” Chloe adds. “As part of the afternoon, the students were surprised to learn that Sam and I had attended their college and we had been in their position. If we helped to raise awareness of this profession for just one student in the room, then we’ve done our job.” Arron Slocombe, pensions partner and one of the firm’s social mobility champions, reflects on the
At Baker McKenzie, diversity is not just about doing the right thing, it is a core strategic focus and seen as critical to the firm’s success
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