Recent highlights: Our people and diversity

'I was personally drawn to Freshfields for, among other reasons, its genuine emphasis on diversity.'
Andrej Jonovic, new recruit

  • The launch of our people strategy and the creation of a new global structure to take it forward, with partners responsible for its implementation in each office.
  • The launch of our global diversity committee, in 2009, and the appointment of diversity partners in our various offices.
  • In London we have appointed a head of diversity, a diversity executive and three partners who are responsible for developing our diversity strategy in association with our diversity working group (chaired by joint senior partner, Guy Morton).
  • We are founding signatories of the Law Society of England and Wales's Diversity and Inclusion Charter, initiated by the Society of Asian Lawyers and BT. The Charter commits us to developing and implementing best practice in equality, diversity and inclusion - as employers, as providers of legal services, as purchasers of goods and services and in our wider role in society.
  • A three-year commitment to the College of Law and Sutton Trust's new diversity scheme, Pathways to Law, designed to encourage more students from 'non-traditional' backgrounds to consider a career in law. As part of this, we are providing work experience placements to pupils from state schools who will be the first in their family to attend university and whose parents are in non-professional occupations. We hosted five placements in 2008, the first year of the scheme, and three in 2009.
  • Our London office has received an 'outstanding' rating in the 2009 Best Companies to work for accreditation. The Best Companies accreditation is an acknowledgement of excellence in the workplace.
  • Our 2008 YouGov poll. This was designed to gather views from people in the London office, to help us deliver our commitment to be an excellent employer.
  • In 2008 our LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) group organised recruitment events at Oxford and Cambridge universities, the first City law firm to do so. More events are planned for other universities in 2009. Our LGBT group also advertised in Starting Out, Stonewall's graduate recruitment guide, and co-sponsored a discussion forum at the Law Society discussing LGBT issues in an international context.
  • Support for a number of initiatives designed to attract and recruit a wider range of people into the commercial legal profession in the UK, including:
    • the first City Solicitors' Education Trust Summer School programme in 2008;
    • the Pure Potential programme which seeks to support students from 'non-traditional' backgrounds in their consideration of university, and subsequent careers;
    • sponsorship for Educational Opportunities which finds work placements for minority ethnic students looking for a career in commercial law (we provided three placements in 2008);
    • the Legal Chances programme, which assists first-year minority ethnic undergraduates in preparing for applications to City firms; and
    • encouraging applications from regional universities through offering interview skills training and (with other law firms) holding open days.