Hogan Lovells has been awarded the National Equality Standard (NES), a rigorous benchmark developed for business by business, recognising the work the firm has done to address issues of equality, diversity and inclusion in the UK. The Standard, which is administered by consulting group EY, evaluates commitment to equality by measuring a broad and demanding set of criteria.
Arun Batra, Chief Executive of National Equality Standard, remarked that Hogan Lovells’ award demonstrates that the legal industry is committed to improving opportunity and equality. He said:
“Hogan Lovells is one of the most impressive organisations we’ve assessed, and one of the leaders in the legal sector. We often advise clients about embedding D&I as business as usual, and Hogan Lovells successfully demonstrates this through its devolved approach to D&I, ensuring that it is driven as a business issue with business leader accountability.”
Participation in the NES assessment process helps to encourage and sustain long-term change, and research confirms that commitment to equality can improve productivity, growth and morale. The NES also creates a detailed roadmap with recommendations to help businesses implement those areas requiring improvement.
Hogan Lovells has a target to reach 30% female partners by 2022, with 24% currently, and 37% women in leadership positions. The firm has also pioneered LGBT+ rights in the workplace and recently launched a global allies network, Pride+, with over 1000 allies signed up globally to date. It has also created one of the largest wellbeing programs of any major law firm in the UK and continues its longstanding focus on widening access to the legal profession.
Commenting on the award, Ruth Grant, partner and Chair of Hogan Lovells Global Diversity & Inclusion Committee, said:
“The NES is a detailed and rigorous benchmark, developed for business by business, which we sought to undertake to assess the effectiveness of our current approach and to help determine our future priorities. The NES team were a pleasure to work with and we were impressed by the thoroughness of the assessment and feedback given. Being awarded the NES is fantastic, but we recognise there is still work to be done and we will use the feedback we have received to help focus that.”