CSR and Diversity & Inclusion

As a global, future-facing law firm, diversity and inclusion (D & I) are not just aspirations for us, they are an imperative.

Underpinned by our corporate values and embedded in our operations, Future Facing Inclusion is our vision for the firm and goes beyond a simple programme or a string of initiatives, being at the core of our business strategy.

Championed by The Senior Partner Penelope Warne, who is a member of The 30% Club and The Law Society Board, CMS UK leads the way with flexible and agile initiatives including standout maternity and adoption leave policies, Time Out (allowing people to take one month’s unpaid leave per year) and progressive work allocation.

We use the Employee Life Cycle as our framework, looking at each stage of the employee experience from attraction and recruitment to personal development, career progression and talent retention, to ensure that our processes are inclusive of all and support greater diversity.

Externally, we share our expertise in this field and work closely with and have also advised many clients on their Diversity & Inclusion strategies. We have contributed to numerous projects aimed at designing D & I frameworks for the legal sector and clients’ pilot programmes including the GCs’ D & I Initiative and The Law Society of England & Wales’ new D & I Charter.

CMS continues to be recognised externally for its commitment to diversity and inclusion. We were again listed in The Times’ Top 50 Employers for Women and were ranked 33 in the Top 50 Employers for Social Mobility.