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Fieldfisher is delighted to be shortlisted in the Diversity & Inclusion category at the FT Innovative Lawyer Awards 2022.
The award entry focuses on the firm's 'Discover' network, which tackles challenges facing disabled people in the legal sector.
Over 20% of working-aged adults are disabled, yet just 3% of solicitors openly identify as disabled. There's a growing demand for law firms to become more inclusive, but often disability is left out of the conversation or considered an afterthought.
Created by Corporate Responsibility Manager, Millie Hawes, a wheelchair user and disability rights activist, Fieldfisher's Discover network works to remove societal barriers that hinder employers' ability to be truly equitable and engages non-disabled people in the discourse.
Discover has already brought about significant operational and cultural changes to attract and retain more disabled talent to the firm. 6% of Fieldfisher's people now self-define as disabled (above the 3% law firm average), and the firm's ambition is for the figure to increase significantly in the future to fully reflect the percentage of working age disabled people in the population.
Fieldfisher is also one of the first law firms to introduce a disability leave policy and, prior to this, was one of the first to launch a neurodiversity policy.
The winners of The FT Innovative Lawyer Awards will be announced at an awards ceremony on 13 October 2022.