Diversity and Inclusion
in your workplace
Contact
Kate BroerDentons Canada LLP
7 King Street West
Suite 400
Toronto, Ontario M5K 0A1
Canada
D+1 416 863 4574
T+1 416 863 4511
F+1 416 863 4592
Your organization is diverse and so are your clients
Embracing the full range of diversity in your organization is not just good for employee satisfaction and well-being, it’s also good for business. When you commit to anorganization-wide culture of inclusion, where the unique talents and potential of all of your people is recognized, encouraged and supported, the organization as a whole will benefit from those differences and talents.
At Dentons, we recognize that Diversity and Inclusion matters to the health and strength of our firm andenhances our workplace and the quality of service to our clients. Embracing diversity to us means committing to attracting, supporting, promoting and retaining individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences. We aim to foster a flexible environment where everyone respects, supports and learns from each other’s skills, talents and differences. Diversity and inclusion isa priority at Dentons from recruitment, through orientation and training and at the highest level of the firm. We appreciate that leadership must be active in the planning, promotion and oversight of our diversity and inclusion policies and practices to make them effective. Greater diversity and inclusion enriches us our community and leads to a broader perspective, more creative ideas and greater effectiveness, which enhances our ability to provide clients with the best possible product.
What could your organizationbe doing about Diversity and Inclusion?
Every organizationmust find its own avenue to embed Diversity and Inclusion in its culture. Some strategies that can be effective in-house may include:
●Subscribing to and participating in diversity and inclusion-oriented initiativesto share ideas and work within the profession to promote diversity and encourage a culture of inclusion both in your organization and in the legal profession as a whole
●Making a formal commitmentto Diversity and Inclusionas a framework on which to build a robust and comprehensive diversitystrategy and plan
●Developing a comprehensive plan and dedicate the necessary resources to achieve your mission
●Taking concrete steps to adopt and advance policies to ensure your organizationreflects a diverse community
●Increasing the diversity of the individuals involved in your organization’s decision-making process
●Educating and trainingpersonnel to understand and become committed to diversity and inclusion
What we do at Dentons Canada
●Diversity & Inclusion Training:This half-day program, designed for senior leadership and firm members responsible for hiring, promotion and compensation, covers an array of topics surrounding and inclusion with a focus on unconscious bias.
●Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network: Member of a collective of Canadian law firms working together to promote diversity and inclusion in the profession.
●Diversity Roundtable:Participant in a roundtable group of representatives from financial institutions, major corporations, government and professional services firms who meet to share best practices for diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
●Justicia Project of the Law Society of Upper Canada:Dentons is a signatory and active participant in this program designed to retain and advance women lawyers in private practice. Dentons has developed a firm-wide maternity and parental leave, and flex-work policies as part of this initiative
●Catalyst Canada:Member of Catalyst Canada, a non-profit corporate membership research and advisory organization working to build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women in business and the professions.
●Vault Women’s Initiatives:Plans and runs regular events directed to women’s advancement, promotion and success at Dentons Canada.
●Mentoring Programs:In partnership with local immigrant-focused organizations, Dentons Canada provides mentorship opportunities to skilled immigrants.
●L.A.W.S. Program: Participant in providing opportunities for high school students from under privileged backgrounds to gain exposure to the practice of law.
●Pride at Work Canada:Founding Corporate Partner of Pride at Work Canada, a professional organization created to support the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-identified (LGBT) community at work.
●Out on Bay Street:Law partner sponsor of Out on Bay Street’s Annual Conference and pro bono legal counsel to Out on Bay Street, a non-profit organization for networking, education and inspiration for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Ally students (LGBTA) and young professionals
●GRIS-Montréal (Groupe de Rechercheetd’InterventionSociale):Actively engaged in an organization dedicated to stamping out homophobia in schools.
●Dialogue LGBTA:Dentons Canada’sLGBTA affinity network
●Uniterra’s Leave for Change Program:Since 2009, Dentons lawyers have used their legal skills and knowledge to help non-governmental organizations build capacity in developing countries.
●Aboriginal Law Student Employment Programs:This program is designed to foster ongoing relationships between Aboriginal students and practicing lawyers.
Scholarships
●Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA): A$5,000 annual renewable scholarship awarded to a black law student who has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, commitment to diversity and financial need.
●Victor Hum Bursary:University of Toronto Law School bursary awarded annually to a student who has demonstrated a commitment to promoting diversity in the law school community.
●DentonsScadding Court “Investing in Diversity” Scholarship: A $4,000 post-secondary scholarship awarded to youth leaders active in issues surrounding diversity, equity and anti-racism. The program, operated in affiliation with the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC), targets youth from marginalized communities who are actively working to improve their communities and city.
●Aboriginal Business Student Internship in Partnership with Polygon Homes
Recognition
●Named one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers 2011, 2012 and 2013
●Named one of Canada’s Best Employers for New Canadians 2009, 2010, 2011,2012 and 2013
●Named one of Canada’s Best Employers for Young Canadians 2012
●Winner CBC Toronto Vision Award for Immigrant Inclusion 2009
DENTONS US
Career Enhancement and Support for Our Lawyers
Through secondments, at a number of our clients we have been successful in enhancing the experience of our female and diverse lawyers.
Executive coaching and mentoring support the growth and development of our lawyers.
Professional development seminars and conference opportunities are available to all lawyers.
Business developmentcoaching and supportfor women partners to advance their growth as rainmakers.
Affinity groups across the firm provide networking opportunities and move forward action items.
Improving benefits, including “gross-up” for same-sex partners—compensating non-partner lawyers and business services staff with same-sex domestic partners for adverse treatment by federal tax laws.
As a measure of our success, these enhancements have led to women, racially diverse and openly gay lawyers serving on the firm’s governing committee, and as managing partners of firm offices, practice groups and committees.
Pipeline Initiatives and Community Involvement
Planning and investing in both diverse future talent and in our local communities is essential. As such, a number of initiatives are in place across our offices, including the examples below.
Training programs for incoming diverse first-year law students at Washington University School of Law in St. Louis and Northwestern University Law School: giving the students a “head start” for their 1L year by preparing them for the rigors of law school.
Dentons is one of the sponsors of the California Bar Foundation's Diversity Scholarship Program, which provides scholarships to diverse law students with financial need who wish to make a positive impact as community leaders.
In 2006, the firm established the Legacy Charter School in Chicago’s impoverished North Lawndale neighborhood. Today, lawyers and staff remain involved in mentoring students, helping maintain the physical plant, and celebrating the students' successes. The school primarily serves African-American students from pre-K through 8th grade.
Supplier Diversity Program: Dentons was one of the first firms to implement a diversity in purchasing initiative. As part of Dentons’ efforts to further economic opportunities for businesses that are owned and operated by minorities, women, LGBT individuals and the physically challenged, we require all new vendors to complete a Vendor Diversity Form.
Promoting the Advancement of Women and Diverse Lawyers in the Legal Profession
In 2012, Kara Baysinger, a Dentons partner and head of the firm’s Insurance Sector team, co-authored a book, Courageous Counsel: Conversations with Women General Counsel in the Fortune 500, along with Michele Coleman Mayes, former executive vice president and general counsel for Allstate Insurance Company. The book shares and discusses personal interviews with more than 50 women who have served as GCs at America’s largest corporations, or who have played executive management roles in their legal departments. The important message about assessing future opportunities, as well as mentoring, risk-taking and other attributes vital to the success of women lawyers are themes discussed internally at the firm and externally whenever possible.
The firm is active in a number of key organizations focused on advancement, including the National Black Law Students Association, California Minority Counsel Program, LAMBDA Legal, Leadership Council of Legal Diversity (LCLD), Minority Corporate Council Association (MCCA), National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) and Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms, among many others.
Dentons is also one of the founding members of the Project for Attorney Retention (PAR), which has now become the Diversity and Flexibility Alliance.
Awards and Recognition
The firm is committed to diversity and inclusion, as well as to making a positive impact in the legal profession. The awards the firm has received confirm that our efforts and actions are having the desired impact. Some of the awards are noted below.
Transformative Leadership Award for Firmwide Policies: Presented by InsideCounsel, the award recognizes a law firm that has made significant strides in advancing women. (April 2012)
Equality Illinois recognized Dentons’ Chicago office as one of the top Illinois law firms for “setting the bar by leading the way to LGBT equality.” (July 2012)
Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index (CEI): The firm earned a perfect score of 100 in 2013, and in four of the prior five years.
2013 Flex Success Award: The Diversity and Flexibility Alliance recognized partner Marci Rose Levine and her client for the crucial role attorney-client relationships play in making workplace flexibility a reality. (March 2013)
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