About us Contact INDUSTRIES PRACTICE AREAS INSIGHTS PEOPLE LOCATIONS NEWS CAREERS Home › About Us › Diversity and inclusion Share Market perception and recognition Awards Corporate responsibility, pro bono and community Diversity and inclusion › Celebrating diversity › Diversity statistics Diversity and inclusion We value diversity and inclusion Diversity and inclusion is a critical component of the firm's past, present and future and one of the values which shapes us. In return, diversity and inclusion adds value to the firm in attracting and retaining the very best talent, engaging with our people, fostering innovation and meeting the needs of our diverse clients. By diversity we mean all the ways which make each of us unique. Inclusion involves harnessing the innate value of our diversity by creating an environment of respect, involvement and reciprocity - where the breadth of differing perspectives is cultivated to create business value. Our approach Our diversity and inclusion strategy has a particular focus on leadership, the partnership pipeline, innovative work practices and partnering with our clients. We benchmark against industry best practice, both within and external to the legal sector. We carry out research and analysis to inform and tailor our programmes. We take an inclusive approach to diversity including initiatives encompassing gender, race, age, religion and belief, sexual orientation, disability and social inclusion. An opportunity to network A key part of our approach is our employee networks which support the overall diversity and inclusion strategy by running awareness raising events, seminars and providing networking opportunities both internally and with our clients. We have a range of networks, including Women in Business, the Multicultural (which celebrates diverse ethnicity, religion and faith and cultures) and LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) and Family. Recognition We are proud of the external recognition gained of our work on diversity and inclusion. Examples include recognition as the Employer of Choice for Women from the Australian Government's Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency; The Times Top 50 Where Women Want to Work (2008); The Stonewall Top 100 employers for LGBT consecutively since 2008 and 6th for City Law Firms in the Black Solicitors Network Diversity League Table 2011. Employer of Choice for Women EOWA Awards in 2010 Star performer network group 2013 Stonewall Top 100 Employers 2013 Stonewall EXCEL We are delighted to announce the launch of Excel - a new scholarship in conjunction with Rare. Please click here for more details. USEFUL INFORMATION People About us Industries Practice areas News Insights Audio and video Legal and regulatory KEEP IN TOUCH Alumni Blogs Careers Contact us Corporate responsibility Diversity UK graduate recruitment STAY CONNECTED Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Youtube © Herbert Smith Freehills LLP 2014 Sitemap Accessibility Legal and regulatory Privacy policy Cookie policy Data rooms