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McCarthy Tétrault LLP - Toronto, Ontario
Diversity & Inclusion
| Please describe your diversity programs and initiatives |
Inclusion Now
McCarthy Tétrault has a longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. In 2018, we launched Inclusion Now, which weaves our longstanding values of diversity, inclusion and corporate social responsibility into every aspect of who we are and what we do. Inclusion Now is creating a more inclusive workplace by accelerating our recruitment of women, racialized people, members of the LGBTQ2S+ community, Indigenous peoples and people with disabilities, and ensuring we have the programs and policies in place to set our people up for success. Inclusion Now is a multi-year, action-orientated plan that was built on four pillars: Leadership, Talent, Culture, and Community. Leadership: We are promoting our goals through active and authentic leadership, weaving responsibility, accountability and transparency throughout the firm. A few additional examples under this pillar include: • McCarthy Tétrault was the first Canadian law firm to have a full-time Chief Inclusion Officer, a Legal & Strategic Advisor on Indigenous Initiatives, and a stand-alone inclusion department. Our Inclusion Now Council, chaired by our CEO and comprised of senior leaders, is accountable for the success of our strategy. • Our leaders receive training in inclusive leadership, unconscious bias and cultural competency. • Inclusive leadership competencies for all our people, which weaves accountability throughout the firm. Talent: Creating a workplace that represents the diversity of our profession and country means enhancing the inclusiveness of our policies and practices, and removing structural barriers. A few examples include: • An inclusive law student recruitment process that includes diverse recruitment teams, open houses for underrepresented groups, and policies, practices and processes designed to eliminate potential bias, including by running competency based interviews. • Offering a work allocation program in most of our largest practice groups. • A policy to ensure that women who take up to 12 months parental leave are not disadvantaged as part of any talent process. • A mental health strategy that includes a number of programs, policies and benefits including a mental health certification program for our leaders; • A trans and gender non-binary inclusion initiative that includes firm-wide education, enhanced insurance benefits, style and pronoun guides, and inclusive facilities. • An accessibility audit of physical spaces and refresh of our accommodations policy. • A mentorship program called “Mentorship Plus”, to offer diverse associates access to senior client mentors and structured professional development opportunities. Culture: To ensure all of our people feel welcome and valued within our workplace, and to normalize conversations around EDI, we have developed a comprehensive educational program for all members of our Firm. Education is the driving force behind our efforts to create a more inclusive culture. This includes: • Firm-wide unconscious bias training. • Monthly cultural competency programs on topics such as anti-Black racism, anti-Asian racism, antisemitism and white supremacy, LGBTQ2S+ history, transgender and non-binary inclusion, mental health, Two-Spirit identities, Truth and Reconciliation, and gender barriers within the workplace. • Engagement campaigns to acknowledge days or events of significance, for example: Black History Month, International Women’s Day, Day of Pink, Transgender Remembrance Day, Asian Heritage Month, Eid, Ramadan, Pride, Orange Shirt Day, Holocaust Awareness Week. • In addition to our Inclusion Now Office and Council, we have created four Action Groups – Pride, Race, Abilities and Gender Equality - working committees, chaired by senior partners and comprised of volunteer lawyers and staff that help bring our Inclusion Now strategy to life. Community: We recognize that we cannot do this work alone. We are working to deepen our impact externally by partnering with and supporting equity-seeking groups, in the following ways: • In 2023, we renewed our 5 year, $5million partnership with United Way Centraide to support agencies that serve Newcomers, Indigenous people, members of the LGBTQ2S+ community, people with disabilities, and women. • A robust pro bono program that recognizes both pro bono and EDI activities during the annual review process. • We are the exclusive National Law Firm Partner of Pro Bono Students Canada, with whom we run an Indigenous Human Rights Clinic and a Trans Identification Clinic. • We run our own internal a pro bono program for our summer students. • We have partnered with Legal Leaders for Diversity on the development of a summer fellowship program called Avenue for Black undergraduate students with an interest in law. • The Firm actively supports organizations that work to advance Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour within the profession and beyond, including the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers, MAX (Muslim Awards of Excellence), Black Future Lawyers, Black Law Students Association, Aboriginal Legal Services, and more. Being a good corporate citizen is not only a business imperative that drives us to think better, do better and be better, it is the right thing to do. Recognizing that our efforts to create an inclusive workplace and an inclusive society are mutually reinforcing, Inclusion Now brings diversity and inclusion and social responsibility together under one portfolio. |
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Diversity Contact Information |
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| Students who have questions about EDI initiatives and/or would like to connect with someone with a similar lived experience, please contact |
Charlene Theodore |
| Diversity website: | https://www.mccarthy.ca/en/community/diversity-and-inclusion/inclusionnow |
| Please list the various initiatives your firm has undertaken related to providing an accessible workplace and barrier free culture for people with disabilities, as well as any information you may be able to share regarding the types accommodations provided. |
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