| Please describe your diversity programs and initiatives |
Equity, diversity and inclusion are core values at Blakes. We are committed to building a more inclusive Firm and legal profession through community outreach, recruitment, internal and external initiatives, and by making systemic shifts in the way we work. Taken together, these steps will ensure that our people have equitable access to opportunities and feel a sense of promise that will drive them forward.
While we are proud of our many initiatives, we are most proud of our continual work to ensure that employees feel valued for who they are and celebrated for their contributions to the Firm’s goals. We actively support several initiatives that promote the development and retention of diverse groups in the workplace, through our affinity groups and inclusion networks including Women@Blakes, Pride@Blakes, Black@Blakes, EastAsian@Blakes, SouthAsian@Blakes, our New Mothers/Parents Network and Diversi-Tea. We find these initiatives help to actively promote the retention and advancement of women and lawyers from diverse backgrounds and the LGBTQI2S+ community across Canada. As well, these initiatives play an important role in cultivating diversity in the law school recruitment process.
Our efforts in promoting equity, diversity and inclusion at Blakes and in the profession have been recognized repeatedly – most recently earlier this year, when Blakes was named one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers by Mediacorp Canada Inc. (a leading Canadian employment/HR-related publisher) for the twelfth time. We are active participants in external organizations focused on diversity, including the 30% Club Canada, the Catalyst Accord and the BlackNorth Initiative.
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