How Employer Branding, Values and Purpose can fill the DE&I gap for Big Law Firms.

For a long time now, law firms have made a big play to show the diversity of their teams – or at the very least the ambition of their diversity activity.

Has it made a material difference?

There seems to be a fair balance between women and men at Associate level – women have comprised the majority of newly-qualified UK solicitors for more than two decades.  In law firms, 53% are women.

In the last ten years, the seniority gap has narrowed ever so slightly since 2015:

• 32% of full-equity partners (the most senior levels in law firms) are women
• 47% of salaried partners are women
• 62% of solicitors are women.

At UK law firms with more than 50 partners, only 28% are female, while in the US, the figure is almost identical, 27.8%.

19% of lawyers are now Black, Asian and minority ethnic – a rise from 15% ten years ago.

But only 6% have a disability – significantly under the 16% of UK population.

So, all in all, there is progress within these criteria – and certainly firms like Browne Jacobsen can point to a significant shift in social mobility.

But what’s next?  Especially with the US Administration breathing down the necks of many law firms.

There will continue to be pressure from clients – for example, BT.

‘Our next panel for 2027-2030 will continue to offer an automatic place for the legal firm that evidences the best inclusion, equity and diversity practices, and for the firm that achieves the most efficiencies through the use of AI and other technologies within their organisation,’ a BT Group spokesperson confirmed.

So how do firms reframe the DE&I narrative?  To appease clients and to stick on the right side of the Trump Administration?

Recasting your values and employer brand can be a great way to remind talent of what it means to be part of the firm – and why they joined – but also to show to talent out there how you are ensuring that your culture remains as fair and vibrant as it has always been.

So how do you do that?

 

Examine your values and how they support key outcomes.  How do your values help drive behaviour in the firm?  What part do they play in helping the firm to deliver a great client experience?

 

Delve into your EVP, to make it relevant for today.  We look at EVP as four buckets – Brand, Culture, Career and Benefits.

 

Create an Employer Brand aligned to strategy as well as employee experience.  Make it as useful and relevant to your aims as well as the experience you want to create.

 

So where’s the diversity in here.  Well, it isn’t, per se.  The thread that runs through is what your firm stands for – to clients, to colleagues and to the wider world.  When we’ve worked with firms, we’ve looked at tone of voice and identity, key talent messages, the values or DNA, experiences and much more, to weave in what makes the firm compelling.  We don’t focus on generic DE&I messages; but the qualities of the firm, its leaders and its people that drives client and team success.  We show how the firm shows up for everyone.