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Linklaters

Diversity • Equity • Inclusion

The pulse of our firm

 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is the pulse of our firm, running through our global business strategy and firmly embedded in our culture and values. We are committed to using our position as a global business to create fairer systems and a more inclusive culture within our firm and beyond.

We know our differences make us a better and stronger law firm. Our mission is to use the power of our diversity to make a positive contribution to our clients, our communities and each other.

We take a global approach to delivering meaningful progress across our six priority focus areas, empowering our local teams to drive actions that make sense in a local context. That way, change is meaningful, sustainable and has impact.

We will continue to hold ourselves accountable to our commitments and targets, and to be transparent about our progress, celebrating what we’ve achieved together and being open about the challenges we still face on our journey.

Our global priority areas

Our global priority areas

To help us focus and measure our efforts in DEI, we have prioritised six strands of diversity globally.

*Click through the wheel to navigate the strands.

Gender:

We are committed to creating an environment in which women are able to progress and where all genders feel supported in balancing their responsibilities inside and outside of the workplace.

We seek to do this by:

  • Creating a balanced and sustainable pipeline of female talent at every career level;
  • Ensuring women have access to development and sponsorship opportunities through our talent programmes, including our Women’s Leadership Programme for senior associates, and Stepping Forward, our group coaching programme for more junior female associates;
  • Leading the way with our parental leave and support benefits;
  • Being agile in our approach to working arrangements and career paths; and
  • Creating opportunities to build understanding of different perspectives and experiences, for example our celebration of International Women’s Day 2022 #breakthebias

Race & Ethnicity:

We want our firm to reflect the races, ethnicities, cultures and nationalities that exist in the communities in which we operate.

Our Race Action Plan, launched in 2020, set out our commitments, actions and targets to become an anti-racist firm and to improve the representation of Black and underrepresented minority ethnic lawyers and Business Team members at all levels in our firm. 

Since then we have made meaningful progress, including rolling out global anti-racism training to all our people, setting up a sponsorship programme for our Black and minority ethnic talent in the US and UK, and introducing a billable credit and recognition for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) contribution.

Read more

Social Mobility:

We strive to be a place where personal background, social identity and socio-economic circumstances are not barriers to success. We are honoured to be recognised by the Social Mobility Employer Index as a leading employer for advancing social mobility in the UK.

A few of the ways in which we actively advance social mobility include:

  • Our Making Links Scholars programme and Making Links Schools Challenge, which both seek to help young people succeed in their early careers;
  • Continued support of The Amos Bursary, a charity focusing on ensuring talented men of African and Caribbean descent from less advantaged backgrounds have the opportunity to excel in education and beyond;
  • Fostering an inclusive culture where people share stories of their backgrounds to raise awareness, build understanding and inspire others; and
  • Our local employee network group, the Social Mobility Network, hosts regular events and client collaborations to bring these discussions to the forefront and foster open communication, awareness and best practice.

Read more

Age & Life Stage:

The world of work is continually changing and for our workplace, this means that people of different age groups and life stages will work together and require different working arrangements and support over their careers.

Our work in this space highlights the many different experiences of our people, and reflects our commitmemnt to Equity. A few examples include: 

  • Our global Agile Working policy which supports our people to have greater autonomy over when and where they work, balancing time in the office with colleagues and clients, with time at home;
  • Our Family and Carers networks, which seeks to support colleagues in the firm with family and caring responsibilities;
  • Our Global menopause policy and support package for colleagues across the firm who are directly or indirectly impacted by the menopause;
  • In the UK, designated support for colleagues undergoing Fertility Treatment, or who may have experienced pregnancy or baby loss; and
  • Launch of ‘YourLink’ in Germany, an innovative approach to career paths that offers our lawyers more reliable and defined working hours, allowing us to attract and retain talent from a range of life stages.

Read more

LGBTQ+:

Our goal is to create an environment of inclusion and belonging for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.

Inclusion is at the heart of our culture. We aim to be a safe space where our LGBTQ+ colleagues can bring their whole self to work and achieve their full potential. Inclusion is at the heart of our culture and we aim to be a safe space where our LGBTQ+ colleagues can bring their whole self to work and achieve their full potential. Our aim is to highlight the many different experiences of our LGBTQ+ colleagues and our work in this space includes:

  • Active “With Pride” and “Allies With Pride” networks across our global offices, to support LGBTQ+ inclusion;
  • Educating our people about the LGBTQ+ experience throughout the year, on topics such as Trans Awareness, the importance of allyship, and Bi and Non-binary identities;
  • A dedicated mentoring programme for LGBTQ+ people in the firm;
  • Creating role models through sharing stories of our LGBTQ+ colleagues; and
  • Being a founding member of Open for Business, a coalition of leading global companies dedicated to LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Learn more:

Diversabilities:

We want to be a firm that recognises, harnesses and celebrates the unique talents and abilities of people living with disabilities. As members of the Valuable 500, we are committed to living by our values every day to foster an open and inclusive workplace for all colleagues with diverse abilities to ensure they have the adjustments and support they need to thrive.

Our work in this space reflects our commitment to Equity. A few examples include: 

  • Constantly reviewing our DiversAbilities action plan, which sets out four priorities: Premises, Recruitment, Employee Experience and Education
  • Launching a global DiversAbilities e-learning module in partnership with Leonard Cheshire, a leading disability charity. The module looks at disability in working environments and how we can work inclusively
  • We recently introduced a new Accessibility plug-in called ReciteMe for use on our Linklaters.com website which will make it more accessible for lots of people to use. We have also applied it to our Linklaters Careers site and Re-link site

Learn more: 

Our global priority areas

To help us focus and measure our efforts in DEI, we have prioritised six strands of diversity globally.

*Click through the wheel to navigate the strands.

Gender

Gender:

We are committed to creating an environment in which women are able to progress and where all genders feel supported in balancing their responsibilities inside and outside of the workplace.

We seek to do this by:

  • Creating a balanced and sustainable pipeline of female talent at every career level;
  • Ensuring women have access to development and sponsorship opportunities through our talent programmes, including our Women’s Leadership Programme for senior associates, and Stepping Forward, our group coaching programme for more junior female associates;
  • Leading the way with our parental leave and support benefits;
  • Being agile in our approach to working arrangements and career paths; and
  • Creating opportunities to build understanding of different perspectives and experiences, for example our celebration of International Women’s Day 2022 #breakthebias
Race & Ethnicity

Race & Ethnicity:

We want our firm to reflect the races, ethnicities, cultures and nationalities that exist in the communities in which we operate.

Our Race Action Plan, launched in 2020, set out our commitments, actions and targets to become an anti-racist firm and to improve the representation of Black and underrepresented minority ethnic lawyers and Business Team members at all levels in our firm. 

Since then we have made meaningful progress, including rolling out global anti-racism training to all our people, setting up a sponsorship programme for our Black and minority ethnic talent in the US and UK, and introducing a billable credit and recognition for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) contribution.

Read more

Social Mobility

Social Mobility:

We strive to be a place where personal background, social identity and socio-economic circumstances are not barriers to success. We are honoured to be recognised by the Social Mobility Employer Index as a leading employer for advancing social mobility in the UK.

A few of the ways in which we actively advance social mobility include:

  • Our Making Links Scholars programme and Making Links Schools Challenge, which both seek to help young people succeed in their early careers;
  • Continued support of The Amos Bursary, a charity focusing on ensuring talented men of African and Caribbean descent from less advantaged backgrounds have the opportunity to excel in education and beyond;
  • Fostering an inclusive culture where people share stories of their backgrounds to raise awareness, build understanding and inspire others; and
  • Our local employee network group, the Social Mobility Network, hosts regular events and client collaborations to bring these discussions to the forefront and foster open communication, awareness and best practice.

Read more

Age & Life Stage

Age & Life Stage:

The world of work is continually changing and for our workplace, this means that people of different age groups and life stages will work together and require different working arrangements and support over their careers.

Our work in this space highlights the many different experiences of our people, and reflects our commitmemnt to Equity. A few examples include: 

  • Our global Agile Working policy which supports our people to have greater autonomy over when and where they work, balancing time in the office with colleagues and clients, with time at home;
  • Our Family and Carers networks, which seeks to support colleagues in the firm with family and caring responsibilities;
  • Our Global menopause policy and support package for colleagues across the firm who are directly or indirectly impacted by the menopause;
  • In the UK, designated support for colleagues undergoing Fertility Treatment, or who may have experienced pregnancy or baby loss; and
  • Launch of ‘YourLink’ in Germany, an innovative approach to career paths that offers our lawyers more reliable and defined working hours, allowing us to attract and retain talent from a range of life stages.

Read more

LGBTQ+

LGBTQ+:

Our goal is to create an environment of inclusion and belonging for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.

Inclusion is at the heart of our culture. We aim to be a safe space where our LGBTQ+ colleagues can bring their whole self to work and achieve their full potential. Inclusion is at the heart of our culture and we aim to be a safe space where our LGBTQ+ colleagues can bring their whole self to work and achieve their full potential. Our aim is to highlight the many different experiences of our LGBTQ+ colleagues and our work in this space includes:

  • Active “With Pride” and “Allies With Pride” networks across our global offices, to support LGBTQ+ inclusion;
  • Educating our people about the LGBTQ+ experience throughout the year, on topics such as Trans Awareness, the importance of allyship, and Bi and Non-binary identities;
  • A dedicated mentoring programme for LGBTQ+ people in the firm;
  • Creating role models through sharing stories of our LGBTQ+ colleagues; and
  • Being a founding member of Open for Business, a coalition of leading global companies dedicated to LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Learn more:

Diversabilities

Diversabilities:

We want to be a firm that recognises, harnesses and celebrates the unique talents and abilities of people living with disabilities. As members of the Valuable 500, we are committed to living by our values every day to foster an open and inclusive workplace for all colleagues with diverse abilities to ensure they have the adjustments and support they need to thrive.

Our work in this space reflects our commitment to Equity. A few examples include: 

  • Constantly reviewing our DiversAbilities action plan, which sets out four priorities: Premises, Recruitment, Employee Experience and Education
  • Launching a global DiversAbilities e-learning module in partnership with Leonard Cheshire, a leading disability charity. The module looks at disability in working environments and how we can work inclusively
  • We recently introduced a new Accessibility plug-in called ReciteMe for use on our Linklaters.com website which will make it more accessible for lots of people to use. We have also applied it to our Linklaters Careers site and Re-link site

Learn more: 

"I want Linklaters to stand out as the law firm with the best minds in the business. A place where talented people are given every opportunity to succeed. With diverse voices around every table to help us anticipate opportunities, come up with creative solutions to problems and make good decisions.” 

Aedamar Comiskey

Linklaters, Senior Partner and Chair
Aedamar Comiskey

Featured content

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women on Executive Committee
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new partners elected in 2023 were women
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women on Partnership Board
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new partners elected in 2023 identify as minority ethnic (UK & US)
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recognised by Social Mobility Employer Index as top employer for advancing social mobility 
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recognised by Stonewall as top employer for LGBTQ+ inclusion
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employee network groups
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named Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality

Working with clients

Partnering with our clients to champion Diversity, Equity and Inclusion across the wider legal industry is a powerful opportunity to drive change.  We seek to support our clients by sharing our legal expertise and DEI experience, and see this as an opportunity to learn together

“I rate [Linklaters’] commitment to diversity and inclusion initiatives as very strong.
They have made a real commitment to this space.” Chambers UK 2023, client feedback

Explore our employee network groups which provide a place to share lived experiences, and create a widespread culture of understanding and belonging.

Black Diversity Council

A collective of Black colleagues who serve as representatives for the Black community at Linklaters

Christian Fellowship

Christian colleagues from all denominations who meet to read the Bible together, pray and encourage one another.

Family and Carers Network

Seeks to support colleagues in the firm with family and caring responsibilities best manage the demands between work and home.

Gender Equality Network UK

Aims to be an active force in accelerating gender equality at Linklaters. Open to people of all gender identities. Also has a HeforShe division, which aims to engage everyone in the movement towards gender equality.

Hindu Vedic

Provides opportunities to build and contribute to the Hindu community within Linklaters through sharing awareness and celebrating festivals with colleagues and clients, including Diwali.

Jewish Forum

Aims to provides its members with access to a social community within Linklaters, as well as the opportunity to discuss issues that affect them, as Jews, both within the firm and the wider community.

LAAN

Linklaters Asian Affinity Network aims to educate, raise awareness of various Asian cultures, and advocate for the Asian community within and outside of the firm

BANA

Black Affinity Network of the Americas purpose is to create an effective forum for attorneys and staff of African-American descent and other members of the African Diaspora to network and develop strong relationships

Hispanic and Latino Group

A forum for attorneys and staff from Hispanic/Latino backgrounds or who have an affinity for Hispanic/Latino culture, to communicate and exchange information for the purpose of enhancing their personal and professional development

LEARN (Race and Ethnicity)

The Linklaters Race and Ethnicity Network (LEARN) is open to anybody, irrespective of ethnicity, and believes everybody can empower its' strategic aims, which are: Community, Progression, Influence and Awareness.

Linklaters Islamic Society

Based in the London office but open to colleagues from around the world, the group provides a number of services including daily salah (prayers), as well as fun social events.

Social Mobility Network

The SOMO network was created to create a community for both lawyers and business teams members who identify as coming from a socially diverse background. The network aims to educate the firm about wider social mobility issues, as well as create a more inclusive culture across the firm.

VisAbility network

Seeks to increase the visibility of physical and mental health conditions, and neurodiversity. As well as supporting those with lived experience, it also works to support our colleagues who care for, work with or manage people who are impacted.

With Pride

Exists to provide leadership in promoting diversity and inclusion, such that every person within the firm who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual or who identifies with any other aspect on the spectrum of gender identity or sexual orientation (LGBTQ+) can bring their whole self to work and achieve their full potential. We also have a dedicated ally network group.

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Key Contacts

As a responsible business, it is important that we represent the diversity of our people, our clients and our communities. We know that diversity makes us a better law firm and helps us attract the best talent, drive innovation with diversity of thought, and deliver the best experience to everyone who comes into contact with us. We recruit on the basis of merit, irrespective of age, disability, gender, gender identity, race or ethnicity, marital status, religion, sex, sexual orientation or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.

Selection decisions, and the reasons for those decisions, are recorded at each stage of the selection process. Selection criteria and, where appropriate, technical skills tests are in place to measure an individual’s ability for the safe and effective performance of a job. Those involved in recruitment and selection decisions and processes are also provided with guidance on diversity issues. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made during the selection process, please talk to a member of the recruitment team so that any required adjustments can be made in advance.

Specific experience requirements advertised on a role do not intend to preclude applications from candidates who may have more or less experience. Our intention is only to indicate a guideline as to the necessary skills for the role as described.

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