Our diverse workforce is key to our success

An inclusive workplace is one where everyone feels free to be who they are, supported and encouraged to fulfil their career potential.

Inclusion is deeply embedded in our culture and having a diverse workforce at all levels within the firm has long been an essential guiding principle for us. Our aim is to ensure that all staff can bring their full selves to work and excel in their role. To help with this, we offer support via our women, parenting and LGBTQ+ networks, mentoring programmes and talks and events throughout the year on issues relating to many aspects of diversity and inclusion.

Over the last 20 years, we have been ranked highly in the tables that chart the proportion of women and LGBTQ+ employees at the firm. We are proud that, in contrast with many of our competitors, 46% of our global partnership are female and over half of our entire senior leadership team is made up of women.

We’re not complacent about the diversity of our workforce or the challenges that individuals can face in their professional and personal lives. We treat everybody equally and we are committed to promoting and conducting an open, honest and fair culture.

To see our diversity and inclusion statistics for 2019 please click here.

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LGBTQ+ at Withers

We stand with our LGBTQ+ colleagues, clients and friends around the world as we recognise Pride month 2021.

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Withers supports equality and positive action

Diversity and mutual respect are central elements of our culture at Withers and we uphold them now in these challenging times as before by supporting all of our people and the communities we live and work in.

We strongly condemn racism, bigotry and police brutality. We stand with the Black community and all of us who strive for change so that there is a more peaceful, safe and just environment for our people and all communities around the world. We are a part of the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance, a partnership of nearly 300 law firms and legal services organizations committed to addressing and dismantling systemic racism in the law.

Gender diversity

We are committed to creating an environment where all genders feel supported in balancing their responsibilities inside and outside the workplace. We have a strong track record in appointing women to leadership roles, and we are one of a few international firms where our two most senior positions within the business are both held by women.

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Justine Markovitz - Partner and Chairperson

Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to everybody at Withers and we pride ourselves on our achievements to date and diverse representation at partnership level.

Our standards are high, our recruitment process is thorough, we want our staff to be the best in their field and we welcome people from all backgrounds.

Our client base is diverse. It is an imperative that we have a diverse workforce to ensure we are effective at meeting those clients’ needs. It means we can build better relationships with them and innovate to find solutions that work better for them.

Accreditations

30 July 2021 - Article

Celebrating Black Pride: the inspiring story of UK musician, singer, songwriter and producer MNEK

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It’s great to see a dedicated area focusing on Pride and LGBT inclusion on the Withers website. The range of Pride stories Withers staff have shared are candid and moving to read. The firm has included a more inclusive version of the LGBT flag with black and brown stripes, which is a really powerful statement. The Black Lives Matter movement in the US and around the globe is a poignant reminder that Pride was and still is a protest to fight for equality and liberation for all who are oppressed. Many of the people who led the uprising at the Stonewall Inn 51 years ago, including black trans women of colour and black lesbians, continue to face systemic inequality and exist on the margins of our community and society. The firm has put together some really helpful LGBT focused articles which are both practical but also reflective on where legal reform is needed to provide for true LGBT equality.

Stonewall, 2020

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Our world is a richly diverse place and a successful global law firm must recruit, hire and retain a diverse mix of talent and perspectives to benefit from that innovative potential. I am proud of how Withers has demonstrated its commitment to diversity and inclusivity by hiring, promoting and celebrating diverse people. The Withers community is enhanced by having managers, attorneys, and staff members who not only proudly identify as being LGBTQ+ internally, but who openly serve as leaders and role models in our legal markets.

MICHAEL BROPHY | PARTNER | LOS ANGELES

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As someone who has been with the firm since a trainee and become a partner (22 years!), I am all too aware of the challenges facing both women and men balancing career choices with family life. I have been a member of the International Women’s Forum (UK) for several years and have had the opportunity to meet many inspiring women through this group and have been able to listen and learn about their life journeys in so many different fields of work. There is no ‘one size fits all’ as to how we work and it is so important for all of us to learn from those around us in the firm. Withers is exceptionally supportive in this area.

SUZANNE TODD | HEAD OF EUROPEAN FAMILY LAW | LONDON

UK Gender Pay Gap Reporting

We are proud of our record of female leadership and supporting women’s careers, including promoting flexible working practices for both men and women for over a decade.

UK Gender Pay Gap Reporting 2018

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UK Gender Pay Gap Reporting 2017