DLA Piper signs the Gender Diversity Pledge
Contributing to greater gender diversity is the responsibility of all modern firms, but we will build further on our achievements if we join hands. Resultantly, we have chosen to support the Gender Diversity Pledge, which is the strategy of DI, the Confederation of Danish Industry, for greater gender diversity. This means that we commit to the 16 principles of the pledge to promote gender diversity and that we will work actively at DLA Piper Denmark to set targets for our work and contribution to the development.
Denmark is a pioneering country in many areas, but we are faced with a challenge when it comes to the share of women in leadership positions. In the latest report from the World Economic Forum, our ranking has dropped from place no. 14 to place no. 29. Our scores are stagnating and we are being outpaced by other countries. The legal profession is no exception with an average share of female partners of 15.5% (AdvokatWatch, September 2020).
Diversity across our business is an ambition we share throughout the global DLA Piper organisation. In order to ensure the necessary attention and progress towards our goals, we have launched a number of initiatives the past year to steer the firm in the right direction to improve the gender balance in DLA Piper Denmark.
Among the initiatives are the establishment of a Diversity & Inclusion Committee and the implementation of an in-house survey to establish whether our employees feel they have equal rights and opportunities. With the ambition of being an employer actively contributing to the development, we have also engaged in a collaboration with the student organisation My Law Story on a number of joint activities to discuss and shed light on how we move in the right direction. As part of this collaboration, we will hold a conference at the Danish Parliament building, Christiansborg, on 27 May under the theme "Gender Equality in the Legal Sector – from good intentions to action".
Creating greater gender diversity is a responsibility we take seriously, but which we believe is achieved best by team effort. As a result, we have chosen to support the Gender Diversity Pledge of DI which means that we commit to the 16 principles of the pledge to promote gender diversity, and that we will work actively to set targets for our work and contribution to the development. In addition to signing the pledge, Managing Partner Martin Lavesen participates in DI’s special committee on diversity together with a number of large Danish companies.
“Focus on gender diversity and diversity in a broader context is a basic expectation for a modern and global company today. Not only do our clients require diversity in the composition of advisory teams and expect us to reflect the diversity they represent. Our advice is also improved when it is based on a wide range of perspectives as are the decisions we make for our future development. As a law firm, we look inward and take responsibility for the part of the development we are able to influence, but we are also dependent on diversity and inclusion remaining high on the overarching agenda - in the consultancy and business sector generally. That is why we welcome the Gender Diversity Pledge and see it as one of several important steps in the right direction", says Martin Lavesen, Managing Partner.
About DI's Diversity Pledge
There are too few women in the private sector and especially in top leadership positions. It is a real impediment to the development of our society and business. For this reason, DI is the first to bring the Danish business sector together to commit to a diversity pledge, the Gender Diversity Pledge, whereby we pledge to work together to increase gender diversity at senior management level of the business sector to reach a 40/60 gender distribution in 2030.
You can find more information about the Diversity Pledge and sign the pledge here.
