At Bates Wells we want to facilitate women in leadership, family friendly working for parents, and transgender inclusion. The Gender Equality group works strategically to improve gender equality at Bates Wells, and in the legal sector more generally.
Internally the group works alongside our HR team and other networks to review our policies such as our enhanced Paternity policy (2019), our Transgender Inclusion policy (2021) and other more general recruitment policies to promote inclusive hiring practices. They also advise on gender-themed guidance such as our Transitioning Guidance and Gender-Neutral Language guidance.
The group hosts educational and social events to promote change and to celebrate key events on the gender equality calendar. For the most recent International Women’s Day we held an internal talk to discuss our contribution to The Law Society’s Practical Toolkit for Women in Law. We have also been involved with the Law Society’s Diversity and Inclusion accreditation pilot, which will shape how The Law Society encourages firms to monitor and promote gender equality in future.