Transatlantic law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD), which has an office in Bristol, has demonstrated its commitment to fostering a culture of inclusion and support for people with disabilities by partnering with a major legal sector organisation.
It has become one of 90-plus leading law firms across the UK, US and Canada to partner with Diversity Lab, an incubator for innovative ideas and solutions that boost diversity and inclusion in law.
Partnering firms commit to Diversity Lab’s recently launched Disability Inclusion Commitments, which outline 10 actions organisations should take to increase inclusion and equitable access to opportunities for disabled individuals in the legal profession.
WBD is already committed to “increasing opportunities to hire disabled people” across its eight UK offices, of which Bristol is the second largest.
This work, which is led by the firm’s disability network, comes after WBD achieved Diversity Lab’s Mansfield UK certification having achieved opportunities for at least 30% women, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities, including leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions, formal client pitches and senior lateral positions over the past year.
With the help of its Disability Network, recruitment and facilities teams WBD has also made several changes to improve its ability to recruit more diversely from a disability perspective over the past year.
These include sharing insights with recruitment assessors, reviewing job adverts to make them even more disability inclusive, and ensuring its website contains comprehensive accessibility information about each office, eliminating the need for visitors to request this information separately.
Other measures introduced by the firm vital to removing barriers and making everyone immediately welcome include using What3Words location references, giving directions before arrival and information on lifts, wheelchair access, accessible toilets, hearing loops, guide dogs and disabled parking.
WBD legal director and disability network chair Michelle Essen said: “As a firm, we are really proud of what we’ve achieved around disability so far, but recognise there is more to do.
“We remain steadfastly committed to raising awareness, normalising conversations, and driving positive change around disability, long-term conditions and neurodiversity. Recruiting inclusively plays a key part in how we foster a truly welcoming and inclusive culture for our people, our clients and our suppliers.”
Bristol-based WBD senior recruitment advisor Charlotte Hall, who is a key member of the firm’s Disability Network’s Steering Group, added: “Our diversity and inclusion goals are now increasingly part of our firmwide short, medium and long-term business strategies and Diversity Lab’s Disability Inclusion Commitments provides us with further opportunity to cultivate more inclusive and equitable cultures for people with disabilities in the legal profession.”
WBD said its disability network, which launched in 2021 and is made up of 85 members across its UK offices, had made significant strides in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion with a number of initiatives over the past year.
These include new ‘Disability:Connect’ sharing sessions – holding discussions and sharing information around disability-related topics such as mental health, and being parents and carers; marking Neurodiversity Celebration Week, where ADHD Foundation Umbrellas were displayed in each WBD office as part of a national awareness-raising project; and for International Day of Disabled Persons, hosting a “Disability Inclusion in the legal profession” webinar with the Law Society as guest speakers.
