Lee & Thompson is proud to announce its commitment to The Women in Law Pledge — an initiative created by The Law Society, the Bar Council of England and Wales, and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives to drive greater equality, diversity and inclusion across the legal profession.

By signing the Pledge, Lee & Thompson joins firms across the sector in taking measurable action to promote gender equality and to support the progression of women at all levels of the legal profession.

Karen Genuardi, Head of People at Lee & Thompson, said:

“We believe that supporting our people to reach their full potential is central to our long-term success. By signing the Pledge, we are reaffirming our dedication to creating a workplace where women are supported to thrive at every stage of their career and where barriers to progression are actively removed.”

As part of this commitment, the firm has agreed a comprehensive set of actions which will be monitored by its Senior Leadership Team. These include:

• Reviewing career development structures and processes to identify and tackle barriers that women face, supported by a firm-wide action plan.
• Strengthening support for those transitioning to and from maternity and parental leave to ensure retention, progression and a positive employee experience.
• Assessing the impact of firm policies to ensure they do not disproportionately disadvantage women.
• Reviewing the firm’s employer brand across its website and social channels to ensure its commitment to developing women into leadership roles is clear, authentic and visible.
• Enhancing recruitment processes to reduce unconscious bias and support all candidates in performing at their best.
• Providing leadership and management development, including training on unconscious bias, discrimination, harassment, and inclusive leadership.
• Embedding accountability by incorporating delivery of the Pledge into partner performance criteria and management team objectives.

Nicki Parfitt, Partner and Head of Film & TV, added:

“Our commitment to the Women in Law Pledge is more than a statement of intent. Recognising the work we have already done, this further reflects our belief that talent should be nurtured, recognised and rewarded regardless of gender, and that leadership within the legal profession must represent the diverse communities it serves.”

This latest initiative builds on Lee & Thompson’s longstanding commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, reinforcing the firm’s belief that diversity drives creativity, innovation and better outcomes for both people and clients.

Find out more about our commitment here.