We held our first Think Tank earlier this year. Organised by members of our Legal CORE (Collaboration on Race and Ethnicity) steering group, this took the form of a half-day ‘hackathon’-style event that brought together individuals from across a number of firms in the legal sector to answer the challenge question: “How can law firms improve the retention of ethnic minorities within their respective firms and across the legal sector?”.

 

The aim was to identify factors that cause racial and ethnic minorities to leave law firms, and for participants to provide initial thoughts on actions and programmes we could develop and ultimately implement in our firms. We also hoped to create a forum for sharing experiences and exchanging ideas amongst those who work within the sector.

 

By sharing the outcomes of the Think Tank, we can reflect on the current culture of our firms and the experiences of those from racial and ethnic minorities. In addition, it enables us – and hopefully others – to review current programmes, practices and processes, and identify where we can do better.

 

We recognise the challenges in creating a culture that is truly inclusive for underrepresented individuals, and the need for change. We hope this is the first in a series of Think Tanks encouraging open conversations – and to ultimately translate dialogue into actionable suggestions that drive progress.

 

To read the full report, click here.