Cooper Grace Ward has become a sponsor for Pride in Law, a move which cements the firm as a leader in diversity and inclusion-based initiatives. The Brisbane-based law firm is a key driver in team member diversity initiatives and has an established wellness committee and diversity committee.
Pride in Law is a Queensland-based non-political group, aimed at linking the LGBTIQ+ legal community and their allies. The group was formed as an association to bring together the LGBTIQ+ legal profession across multiple disciplines and aims to help members through visible legal education, professional networking and advocacy in the law.
The firm is regularly recognised for its diversity commitments including winning the 2018 Australasian Law Award for Employee Health & Wellbeing, as a finalist in the 2019 Financial Review Client Choice Awards and as a gold winner of HRD Magazine’s Employer of Choice for 2019.
This year the firm launched a new initiative for LGBTIQ+ team members after a recent firm-wide survey found that 14% of team members identify as LGBTIQ+. The support group named ‘Arcus’, which is the Latin name for ‘rainbow’ meets every three months to discuss issues, offer support and act as a safe space for team members.
The firm’s private client partner and chair of Arcus, Scott Hay-Bartlem commented that the sponsorship bolsters the firm’s diversity offerings.
“Becoming a sponsor of Pride in Law demonstrates that we’re committed to creating a welcoming environment for current and future team members from all walks of life.”
“Diversity and inclusion are at the core of our firm’s values and we’ve long admired Pride in Law and their history of supporting LGBTIQ+ people in the legal industry.”
In addition, Cooper Grace Ward has recently been recognised as an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality (EOCGE) by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency for 2018/2019. The WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation is designed to encourage, recognise and promote active commitment to achieving gender equality in Australian workplaces.