Law firm wins Franco-British Business Award for Diversity and Inclusion

UK and Ireland law firm Browne Jacobson has won the Diversity and Inclusion Award at the 23rd Franco-British Business Awards 2022.

The award is presented to organisations that go above and beyond to champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace and the firm won the award for a series of ground-breaking initiatives which are aimed at making the firm and the legal profession more diverse and inclusive.

The Franco-British Business Awards honour both French and British companies that go above and beyond to support their people and communities, build inclusive and diverse workforces, make progress on climate action, and nurture Franco-British relations.

Browne Jacobson’s French Group is based in London and comprises of French nationals and bilingual lawyers. The team works in partnership with over 400 French companies across a broad range of sectors. The practice which is a member of the French Chamber of Great Britain offers legal advice on a range of matters including M&A transactions, JV arrangements, commercial real estate, IP, data protection, immigration, and HR services.

On receiving the award Caroline Green, Senior Partner, said:

“Our commitment towards greater diversity and inclusion is one of our core values as a business and it is a huge honour to be the first recipients of this award by the French Chamber of Great Britain.

“We will continue to strive to do all we can to create a level playing field for anyone interested in entering the legal profession.

“Awards such as these are an added inspiration and a reward for everyone that has helped us on our journey towards becoming a more diverse, equitable and inclusive business.”

Browne Jacobson has established a national reputation for its commitment to promoting greater diversity and inclusion in the legal profession and is currently ranked as the UK’s number one employer for social mobility by the Social Mobility Foundation.

Since 2016 the firm has implemented a series of ground-breaking initiatives including revolutionising its trainee recruitment processes by removing academic barriers, anonymising applications and focusing its outreach work on social mobility ‘cold spots’.

In 2021, the firm launched FAIRE (Fairer Access into Real Experience) – a unique programme offering work experience opportunities to candidates specifically from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Its FAIRE events have so far attracted over 23,500 young people from 2000+ schools, successfully targeting schools in every social mobility ‘cold spot’.