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Building DE&I into the DNA of our business

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at Addleshaw Goddard

At Addleshaw Goddard, we recognise the importance of nurturing an inclusive culture to help us attract, retain and enable our people to be the best they can be.

In 2020 we introduced a new, Board approved inclusion strategy, which included:

Since 2020 we have kept our strategy under review to ensure that it remains ambitious and reflects the needs of our people. And hope that this strategic approach will create greater equality within our firm and foster a greater sense of belonging amongst our people. 

Now, our commitment to DE&I remains resolute across our business and is underpinned by the firm's 2030 Vision, which clearly articulates the firm's continued focus on investing in our Culture. Our current objectives include:

A core part of our DE&I programme has been the investment into our employee networks which now have over 700 members and include: 

It's through this greater investment in our DE&I programme that we can have more impact with our people, communities and clients and in recent years we've had some really positive successes, including:

We are active members of Interlaw Diversity Forum, The Legal Neurodiversity Network, WorkLife Central, Black Solicitors Network, NOTICED, Stonewall, the Valuable 500, Regeneration Brainery and PRIME (an alliance of law firms that has undertaken to broaden access to the profession). 

Removing barriers so that talent can shine

A key focus for Addleshaw Goddard is diversifying our trainee talent. To do this we have partnered with an external organisation, Rare, to introduce contextual recruitment and accountability into our graduate hiring process.

Contextual recruitment looks at the context of academic achievement, and identifies students who have surpassed expectations or performed excellently in conditions of adversity.

We have also removed our minimum A-level requirement to allow a more diverse pool of candidates to apply for training contracts at Addleshaw Goddard.

We review your application without personal information to ensure we do not allow bias of any kind to affect the process.

We have also increased the training for everyone involved in the recruitment process to ensure that we select people based on their ability, potential and nothing else.

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Diversity Access Schemes

We nurture strong links with reputable social mobility schemes and professional diversity networks such as the Aspiring Solicitors, Talent Tap, Regeneration Brainery, Upskill Me, Leadership Through Sport and Business, Black Solicitors Network and PRIME and value their support and expertise when reaching out to untapped talent from non-traditional backgrounds.

We are signatories of the Social Mobility Business Compact: a government-led initiative which aims to reduce elitism and improve social mobility by encouraging businesses to open opportunities to everyone. 

In 2024, we proudly partnered with Aspiring Solicitors as the founding member of the SMART Commitment initiative. This programme offers financial support to socially mobile students participating in the firm’s placement scheme and to our future trainees.

We have always invested and partnered with local communities, schools and networks who are keen to raise the aspirations of young people – and will continue to do so by offering young talent opportunities to take part in quality work experience programmes and internships.

PRIME

We are a founding member of PRIME, an initiative through which law firms provide quality work experience placements to underprivileged school-age students. We work with local primary and secondary schools across London, Leeds, Manchester and Edinburgh to inspire young people to fulfil their potential. Each year, between 25-30 students from years 12 and 13 take part in our virtual work experience programme our Legal Access Week Programme.

Legal Explorers 

In 2023 we launched the AG Legal Explorer programme – a year-long programme offering mentoring, a laptop and work shadowing opportunities for socially mobile students. The programme now runs across offices in Edinburgh, Leeds, London and Manchester and will focus on preparing students to take the next step in their careers, such as applying for university or apprenticeship. 

Sonia McMahon Award

This award was established following the death of a colleague, Sonia McMahon. Sonia was a champion of inclusion and was passionate about providing greater opportunities for those from less privileged backgrounds. The award is open to current law students and awards the two winners a £5,000 bursary (each), 12 months of mentoring and a week of work experience at the firm.  

Legal Access Scheme

Our award-winning Legal Access Scheme offers bright BPP University Law School students from unconventional or less privileged backgrounds a place on our summer placement programme. 24 students from this scheme have secured training contracts with us since its creation in 2007.

Lawscot Foundation 

We have partnered with LawScot Foundation to enable the opportunity for students from less privileged backgrounds a place on our summer placement scheme, along with providing a bursary for one student each year. 

City Solicitors Horizons

City Solicitors Horizons (CSH) is a social mobility initiative designed to improve access to the legal profession for young people from less privileged backgrounds. It was created by the City of London Solicitors’ Company, City Solicitors’ Educational Trust (CSET) and The Legal Education Foundation (TLEF), and is supported by the City of London Law Society (CLLS) and leading law firms – including Addleshaw Goddard.

Students attending universities across London and southeast England are selected to take part in this three-year social mobility programme, alongside their undergraduate degrees, connecting with law firms who provide access to mentoring lawyers and practical work experience.

Talent Tap

In 2023 we started working with Talent Tap, which provides high quality work experience opportunities to social mobility students in 'cold spots'. Residential accommodation is provided to the students, allowing them to take part in opportunities and work experience that might not have been available otherwise.  

Street Law 

Street Law involves working with young people in schools to provide information about law and their rights and responsibilities. We work with low progression secondary schools to help raise aspirations and encourage young people to think about law as a possible career option, as well as providing useful legal information using interactive methods. 

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Diversity Data

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