One of the reasons I became inclusivity adviser at Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) was to help affect positive change in the future of the legal industry. The proportion of black associates in law has remained static for the last three years, and sits at just 1.4%, according to the most recent Diversity League Tables report. Figures from the American Bar Association state that 88% of all lawyers are white, and there is overwhelming evidence that law firms and their inhabitants cannot act without the influence of bias, even when combined with the best of intentions.
In my role I want to highlight the value in diversity from both a business and moral standpoint, and help the legal profession address the issues underpinning the statistics. Recent research by McKinsey & Co found that ethnically diverse companies are more likely to outperform their non-diverse counterparts financially by 35%. What’s more, evidence shows that diversity engenders a happier, more motivated workforce, and staff who are more likely to stay with their organisation for longer.
