D&I Highlights from Chambers Canada 2021
The 2021 edition of Chambers Canada is the most comprehensive guide yet. As our research process continuously evolves with the latest technology, sector developments and client needs, we are delighted to now include more in-depth coverage of ranked firms and individuals than ever before.
One of the key areas we have been making changes in is our approach to diversity and inclusion. While the last five years have seen the percentage of ranked lawyers who are female gradually increasing, we did not feel this was enough to accurately reflect top talent in the profession.
In our 2021 research cycle, we introduced a section on diversity and inclusion statistics in the submission form. Additionally, our research teams have all undergone D&I training this year and the Canada team continues to pay close attention to the work and accomplishments of female lawyers. We are delighted to say that this year the percentage of newly ranked female lawyers has jumped to 34%.
This was the result of positive action taken by our editorial, D&I and leadership teams to further identify existing highly-performing female lawyers. The results have been encouraging however there remains a long way to go to ensure our rankings are reflective of the diversity of the profession. A vital part of this process is collaborating with firms therefore we strongly encourage firms to help drive change by submitting diversity statistics and committing to a diverse range of lawyers and clients for interviews.
Significantly, this shift in our research process has led to a 45% increase in ranked female lawyers in both Employment and Litigation practice areas in the last 5 years. We have also seen growth in some practice areas which now have more than 50% of female lawyers ranked such as Healthcare (54%) and Advertising (50%). The 2021 guide has seen an overall 6% increase of ranked female lawyers across the guide.
We also look forward to celebrating the success of both private practice and in-house firms and individuals at the Chambers Diversity & Inclusion Awards: North America 2020 which includes Canada for the first time. The ceremony takes place on Thursday September 24th, 2020.