Bringing the Best Together through Inclusion: Herbert Smith Freehills announces second Global Diversity and Inclusion Week

Herbert Smith Freehills is delighted to announce its second Global Diversity and Inclusion Week, commencing today on 7 March 2016. This important week in the firm's calendar celebrates and raises awareness of all aspects of Diversity & Inclusion with over 44 events in 14 offices across the international network.

Herbert Smith Freehills is delighted to announce its second Global Diversity and Inclusion Week, commencing today on 7 March 2016. This important week in the firm's calendar celebrates and raises awareness of all aspects of Diversity & Inclusion with over 44 events in 14 offices across the international network.

A diverse and inclusive culture supports many of the Herbert Smith Freehills strategic objectives and being able to draw on a broad range of perspectives and approaches within the firm helps deliver the best and most innovative service to the firm's diverse client base.

This year the D&I Week publicity campaign "Week" focuses on the firm's multiculturalism', highlighting the huge cultural diversity arising from the range of national, ethnic, religious and faith backgrounds that make up the global firm. 

Alongside this campaign a wide range of diverse topics will be covered in a variety of events including: Filling the Pool: What Women Can do; Stress and its effect on health; Ethnic Communities in Northern Ireland; The Law of Love: The Legalities of Marriage Equality in Australia; Justice without Borders and Feng Shui for All.

The firm has recently been recognised as one of the Top 10 global employers for LGBT inclusion by Stonewall, the UK's leading LGBT rights organisation; ranked 25th in Stonewall's top 100 Workplace Equality Index 2016; awarded a "Silver Standard" ranking in Community Business' inaugural Hong Kong LGBT Workplace Inclusion Index; named one of five legal Diversity Champions in The Lawyer’s first-ever Diversity Audit; Justin D'Agostino was for the third consecutive year listed as One of the Top 100 "OUTstanding and FT Top 100 LGBT Executives", an Outstanding in Business ranking which recognises prominent professionals who have made a difference in the LGBT community; and the firm was awarded the CareerTrackers Corporate Plus Award in recognition of the firm's involvement in the CareerTrackers Indigenous Internship Program in Australia. 

James Palmer, Chair and Senior Partner of the firm, said:  "Global D&I week is part of our focus on creating an inclusive culture across the firm. The series of events are intended to inform and engage all our staff, raising awareness of how we can enhance our diversity and the sense of inclusivity for all our colleagues. This is firmly aligned with enhancing our success, as we all know that we perform at our best when we feel recognised and respected for our contributions.

"In addition to our continued focus on gender diversity and our LGBT initiatives, this year will also see a much greater focus on enhancing multiculturalism across our firm. As we internationalise still further, it is clear there is a lot more we can do on this topic."

Highlight events include:

• 7 March – Dubai: Tour of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Cultural Understanding
• 8 March – London: Women's Breakfast at the National Portrait Gallery
• 8 March – Tokyo: Spotlight on Japan – Gender Equality event
• 9 March – Hong Kong: Stress and its effects on health: a GP Perspective presented by Dr. Charles Brantley
• 9 March – New York: International Women's Day: Screening of He Named Me Malala
• 10 March  – Belfast: Ethnic Communities in Northern Ireland Presentation by Anna Lo (MLA)
• 10 March  – Brisbane: "The Law of Love": The Legalities of Marriage Equality in Australia
• 14 March – Singapore: Feng Shui for All: Standard Chartered Bank's lunch talk
• 23 Mach – Paris: Multiculturalism Quiz Night