D&I

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Diversity & Inclusion

The ability to connect the dots and leap to inspired solutions can’t be underestimated. We believe it is this pioneering approach that unlocks a world of opportunity. It’s what our clients value and it helps us to be the firm we want to be.

To get there, we are committed to treating everyone with respect. We are keen to create an environment where everyone feels empowered and supported to succeed, knowing they can make a meaningful contribution to our firm, whoever they are.

Find out how the diversity of our people empowers their day-to-day life working here

Jonathon Ellis

At a personal level, for me, the ability to bring my full self to work and to talk about my husband in an open way is essential to my wellbeing, and I think that’s true for so many others...

Ramani Young

Having dual heritage gives me a multidimensional view of both societies and cultures, which are historically linked, and this perspective opens eyes, brings fresh ideas, and allows for thinking outside of the box...

Leonora McNabb

I’m proud of who I am, the fact that I think differently and that I bring different perspectives when I show up at work...

Our Diversity & Inclusion Strategy

We are driven by the ambition to foster a culture built on empathy and respect, to always be inspired by the possibilities that diversity offers our people, and to reflect the diversity of the communities and societies we operate in.

Discover our strategy

Find out more about our employee-led networks below

Embrace

Our award- winning, multicultural employee-led network supports and celebrates the multicultural experience within the firm, raising awareness of cultural and historical moments of importance (such as Black History month) and giving back to multicultural communities through community engagement and assisting with diverse and inclusive recruitment to the firm...

NeuroNetwork

Neurodivergent people can bring unique abilities and qualities to the workplace, but also face particular challenges. Our NeuroNetwork was established to embrace neurodiversity in the workplace, provide support, raise awareness, and celebrate that we all think differently...

StandOUT

Our LGBT+ employee-led network creates education and awareness opportunities across the Firm in support of LGBT History Month and Pride and supports our diverse recruitment strategies...

Beyond Backgrounds

We want to ensure that, irrespective of social background, each and every individual at Bird & Bird feels valued and included, and that they can flourish and develop at Bird & Bird, as their authentic self...

Our global initiatives

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Mansfield Rule

We have achieved Mansfield Certification in the UK following our successful participation in the UK pilot programme.

What is the Mansfield Certification?

The Mansfield Certification aims to boost diversity in law firms by broadening the pool of candidates considered for recruitment, promotion, or participation in a number of key roles.
Having run in the US and Canada for several years, the certification was introduced as a pilot in the UK last year, and we were one of only fourteen law firms to take part. To achieve our Mansfield certification, we needed to show that at least 30% of the candidates we considered for several key roles were defined as under-represented. Mansfield defines this as lawyers who are women, lawyers from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, lawyers living with disabilities, and lawyers who identify as LGBTQ+.

What did we do to achieve certification?

Throughout the year we attended briefing sessions with Mansfield, and knowledge sharing sessions with the other firms involved, so that we could learn from each other.
We reviewed our processes to mitigate unconscious bias in recruitment and open up employment opportunities to as wide a pool as possible.

Global Women's Development Programme

In 2016 we introduced a Global Women's Development Programme, our bespoke firmwide programme to support more women on the path to partnership. The programme runs annually with the aim of retaining high performing women lawyers, promoting an inclusive culture, and finding out what gender specific barriers women within our firm face. The programme has won multiple awards, and most recently was shortlisted for the ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programme of the Year’ category at the Women & Diversity in Law Awards 2022.

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