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We believe shaping a diverse and inclusive workplace is not only the right thing to do but also essential for our success and the wellbeing of our people. Our values of fairness and respect drive us to create an environment where everyone can thrive, regardless of their background. We have four people-led networks that support our progress and a dedicated Diversity and Inclusion team delivering a central strategy.
2025 Objective |
Status |
Progress |
|---|---|---|
Develop new Action Plans for Race and Gender. |
Ongoing |
Ethnic Diversity Action Plan has been developed by the Diversity Taskforce and launched internally to the firm. The Diversity Taskforce are building a Gender Action plan to launch in 2026. |
Implement findings from people-led networks research. |
Completed |
Implemented into people-led networks and new objectives have been set. |
Roll out conscious inclusion training. |
Ongoing |
Seven departments have completed the training; further sessions are being delivered. |
2026 Ambition |
Status |
Year 5 progress |
To achieve at least 33% female partners, on the road to parity. |
Ongoing |
25% of our partners were female at the end of April 2025. However, internal promotions and external hires since this date give us more confidence that we could achieve the 33% 2026 ambition by the end of the five-year window. |
To reach at least 4,000 students through our ‘Working with Schools’ programme, targeted towards state schools. |
Completed |
In 2024/25 we reached 2,615 students. Since 2019/20 when this target was set, we have reached over 10,000 students. |
Our Diversity Taskforce is a governance forum made up of senior leaders from across the firm that is tasked with exploring our most challenging diversity challenges in focused sprints before presenting back recommended actions to the Responsible Business Committee and Strategic Board. Our first sprint was focused on gender diversity across firm and led to the development of our Gender Action Plan in 2020. These actions have resulted in a notable increase in female representation within our partnership, both through internal promotions and external recruitment. In 2021, we established an ambition to achieve 33% female partnership by 2026 with the long-term aim of achieving gender parity. Since 2022, we have also recruited eight apprentices each year, supporting social mobility and widening access to the profession.
The second sprint of the Diversity Taskforce focused on race and ethnicity. The outcome of this work was Ethnic Diversity Action Plan which was developed in collaboration with our race and culture employee network, BCultured. The action plan was developed in response to survey data indicating that colleagues from ethnic minority backgrounds reported lower levels of comfort expressing their identities and sharing personal information compared to white colleagues.
The forthcoming steps aim to support the attraction, retention, and overall experience of ethnically diverse employees. Over the next year, our Emerging Talent Team will implement a new assessment process intended to be more inclusive. Exit interview data will be reviewed to identify potential areas for improvement and observe emerging trends. Additionally, an anonymous reporting tool will be introduced to enable confidential reporting of workplace discrimination or harassment.
This year we also undertook research to understand the priorities, activities, and barriers experienced by members of our employee networks—known as BGroups. It involved interviews with management committees, listening sessions with the People Team, and a survey completed by 96 BGroup members. We found that members primarily joined for a sense of community and to work toward shared goals with like-minded colleagues.
Key challenges include lack of protected time, fatigue, limited recognition, and events scheduled outside working hours. Management committees emphasised the importance of safe spaces, social connection, advocacy, and awareness-raising as core functions. The firm responded by redefining the BGroup objectives to focus on these areas and improve alignment with broader D&I goals. Co-chairs are now working on refreshed terms of reference and objectives for the new financial year.
*Image: New BGroup objective areas
Hosted by BProud, we welcomed racing driver and LGBTQ+ activist Charlie Martin to share her experiences of transitioning during her motorsport career and practical insights on creating inclusive workplaces for the LGBTQ+ community. We had great engagement and appreciated her practical tips for supporting transgender colleagues.
Fatherhood lunch and learn
For International Men’s Day 2024, we highlighted fathers’ experiences at the firm through a roundtable with host Gavin Hooper (Learning and Development Specialist) and panellists Ed Hayes (Director), Alex Minhinick (Partner), Tim Manton (HR Business Partner) and Joe Bowden (Project Manager). They shared insights on becoming parents, taking parental leave, managing work/life balance, and navigating different stages of childhood whilst thriving in their careers.
Accessibility & Best Practice Forum
As part of our Designed for All approach, the D&I Team created a cross-firm network to share accessibility best practice. Membership includes Facilities, IT, Project Management, People Team, Digital Learning and BEnabled. Within six months, we implemented equality assessments into procurement, began collecting neurodiversity data, and shared existing best practices.
Accessibility Audits with Luis from Unstoppable Living
As a Disability Confident Leader, we are committed to improving workplace accessibility. Luis from Unstoppable Living conducted an accessibility audit of our people processes. Our Facilities Team is addressing his recommendations during the office refit, whilst the People Team enhances employee experiences.
Reverse mentoring will be relaunched, pairing ethnically diverse colleagues with senior leaders to promote allyship. Training on race, culture, and unconscious bias will be delivered to interviewers and line managers to build inclusive practices. Success will be measured through repeat surveys and reduced experience gaps between ethnic minority and white colleagues.
We are committed to improving access to the legal profession and creating opportunities for individuals from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. Our approach promotes inclusion and equal opportunity through targeted programmes and strong community partnerships.
Our Bright Sparks programme offers school and college students a week-long insight into life at a commercial law firm. Participants experience legal practice areas and business functions such as Marketing, Finance, HR, and IT, supported by structured shadowing and group projects to build confidence and employability skills. Each year, we also have processes to help support students from lower socio-economic backgrounds benefit from the Bright Sparks experience.
We are proud to be a key partner of SMBP, a charity that brings professional organisations together to support students from low-income backgrounds in their pursuit of a career in business.
Lisa Godfrey, Head of Operations, SMBP
As part of our Working with Schools programme, we have developed a strong partnership with Lasswade High School, a large comprehensive school with a diverse demographic situated in a former mining area just outside Edinburgh. In 2025, we began sponsoring their School of Modern Languages, which aims to increase uptake in the Senior phase and provide a positive, engaging learning experience for all students. Since launching this partnership in 2024, 16 of our people have volunteered as mentors, supporting students to raise aspirations and explore career pathways.
In 2025 we celebrated 10 years of collaboration with IntoUniversity, who support disadvantaged young people through mentoring, academic support, and confidence-building programmes.
Since 2023, we have delivered 11 Business in FOCUS Days and one Careers in FOCUS Day, engaging 256 students.
Our 10-year partnership with Envision further demonstrates our commitment to empowering young people who are often under-represented in the world of work. Envision’s programmes help students develop the essential skills and confidence required for future success.
Through our community partnership, approximately 240 students in Bristol have benefitted from the mentoring support provided by teams of our business mentors, who share their experience and knowledge to help young people realise their potential.
