Gowling WLG is pleased to announce that it has become the first international law firm to sign the UN Women's Empowerment Principles.

First established in 2010, the seven Empowerment Principles underpin a powerful global initiative designed to help businesses advance gender equality and promote women's economic empowerment within their workplaces, industries and communities.

In signing the Empowerment Principles, the firm renewed its commitment to:

  1. Establishing high-level corporate leadership for gender equality
  2. Treating all women and men fairly at work - respect and support human rights and non-discrimination
  3. Ensuring health, safety and well-being of all workers, regardless of gender
  4. Promoting women's education, training and professional development
  5. Implementing enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices that empower women
  6. Promoting equality through community initiatives and advocacy
  7. Measuring and publicly report on progress to achieve gender equality

"In our firm and in the legal community, we know that there is hard work ahead when it comes to fostering an environment in which women can grow professionally and advance in their careers," said Rebecca Bromwich, Gowling WLG Canada's manager of diversity and inclusion. "That's why we're proud to not only sign these principles, but to be guided by them as we continue to strengthen and expand our gender equality efforts across our global offices."

Increasing the number women in senior roles remains a significant focus for Gowling WLG. Through programs such as Thrive, the firm continues to invest in strategies tailored to promote greater recognition and understanding of the challenges facing women in the workplace.

"At Gowling WLG, creating an inclusive workplace where our people can be themselves, and celebrating the fact that we're all individuals, are top of our agenda," said Emma Dennis, Gowling WLG's UK's manager of diversity and inclusion. "Through our women initiatives, we actively engage in a number of projects aimed at improving gender parity in our partnership and management. Signing on to the UN Women's Empowerment Principles underlines our existing commitment to gender equality."

Gowling WLG continues to embed Diversity & Inclusion into its DNA. In January 2019, the firm was distinguished in the Stonewall Top 100 Employer list as being among the UK's best places to work for LGBT+ people. More recently, the firm became a signatory of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)'s Equal by 30 campaign, a public commitment to work towards equal pay, equal leadership and equal opportunities for women in the clean energy sector by 2030. Learn more about Gowling WLG's D&I initiatives in Canada and the UK.