Multinational law firm Clifford Chance sets gender, ethnicity and LGBTQ+ inclusion targets

London-based multinational law firm Clifford Chance has announced a series of targets for gender, ethnicity and LGBTQ+ inclusion.

By 2030, the magic circle firm aims to have at least 40 per cent female partners globally. Other levels in the company are expected to achieve the target by five years from now. These positions include counsel, senior associates, associates, business professional directors and leadership groups.

Besides, the firm wants 15 per cent of new partners and 30 per cent of senior associates to be from ethnic minority backgrounds, and three per cent of partners globally to be LGBTQ+ by 2025.

According to the Legal Cheek‘s firms most list, Clifford Chance has 24 per ecnt UK female partners. But the percentage is lower in other countries.

"Our new inclusion targets will be a powerful catalyst for the change we want to see and I hope they will set a new standard for our industry. To make the change that our people, our clients and society expect from us, we need to be actively campaigning and forging positive, inclusive environments which are enriched by the diversity of our people," said Matthew Layton, global managing partner at Clifford Chance.

"We have already seen how we can use data to focus attention on our inclusion challenges and their root causes. Our new targets will be a powerful catalyst for the change we want to see and I hope they will set a new standard for our industry.”

“Behind the targets is a tailored set of initiatives that represents a comprehensive strategy to deliver greater inclusion," said Tiernan Brady, global director of inclusion at Clifford Chance.

"The top of our firm needs to look like the rest of the firm and the societies we are based in. It is both a core value and an economic imperative, and it is the future for the legal sector.”