Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity of thought, perspective and experience is invaluable in providing creative and cutting-edge advice to our clients, and it also fosters an open-minded and varied work environment. We believe that it is our ability to build collaborative and diverse teams that helps us to succeed.

Diversity and Inclusion is an integral part of how we do things as a firm.  We believe that an inclusive workplace drives collaboration and enhances business performance, and we value diversity and individuality very highly – different perspectives are crucial when it comes to providing innovative advice. You will find graduates from 148 different degree courses, 71 different universities and 50 different nationalities at Slaughter and May.

When selecting trainees, we certainly look beyond academics and aim to employ the brightest minds regardless of what or where they studied. We use the Rare Contextual Recruitment System across all our early careers recruitment activity. The system helps us identify high-potential candidates by putting applicants’ grades and achievements in the context of their social and educational background.

We benefit from talented people who think differently and we strive to ensure that people feel comfortable being themselves at work. We work with a number of external organisations to ensure we are recruiting the most talented individuals from a broad range of backgrounds. 


We are proud to have been recognised in the Top 75 Social Mobility Employers Index. Four partners and one associate feature in the 2024 Empower Role Models list which recognises individuals contributions to race and ethnic diversity within global business.

Our aim is to ensure that our talent remains diverse throughout the pipeline to partnership. In addition to numerous training programmes for the professional and personal development of our people, we provide targeted opportunities for females, LGBTQ+ employees, employees from ethnic minority backgrounds and employees from lower socio-economic backgrounds, including mentoring schemes, development programmes and coaching sessions.

A NETWORK OF NETWORKS

The firm has eleven employee networks run by employees and supported by partners. Collectively, they form a Network of Networks that work collaboratively with each other and the firm to create a more open-minded and inclusive working environment.

Each network offers an informal support mechanism for employees with similar backgrounds, outlooks or interests and hosts a number of events throughout the year, ranging from inspirational lunchtime talks to social evenings. These events are open to everyone and are a great way to meet new people in the firm.

Christian Network

DIVERSE

Family Network

Jewish Network

Muslim Network

PRISM

 

Thrive

 

GEN

 

Empowered

 

SoMo

 

OneEarth

One Earth