National law firm TLT has been listed in the prestigious The Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality 2024 for the second year in a row following outstanding achievements in addressing gender equality in the workplace. TLT is one of seven law firms included in the list, placing the firm at the helm of gender equality in the UK legal industry.  

The Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality is the UK’s most highly profiled and well-established list of employers taking action and making gender equality part of their business strategy at all levels. Business in the Community (BITC) – the UK’s largest and most influential responsible business network dedicated to building a fairer and greener world - has been running The Times Top 50 for 14 years.

Selected by gender equality experts, TLT was featured in the list in recognition of actions taken to remove gender inequalities in the workplace including offering colleagues a flexible approach to working, top-tier family support and later in life programmes, and a pioneering wellbeing programme.

The news builds on TLT’s success in the last twelve months in improving diversity and inclusion, having achieved 33% female representation at partner level two years ahead of its target, reduced its mean and median pay gaps to the lowest level since it began recording, and setting a new target to achieve 50% women in partner roles by 2029. These fresh ambitions have seen TLT prioritise health and wellbeing to support the professional development of women.

The firm’s successes have been attributed to TLT’s robust gender strategy, which has with four areas of focus; redefining leadership with gender inclusion at its core; expanding flexible working; increasing female representation and creating a respectful culture. The strategy was introduced in 2019 in collaboration with the firm’s Women’s Equality Network – one of TLT’s founding networks that aims to empower women to achieve their full potential, to drive gender diversity at all levels in the firm.

The firm’s achievements against its targets are underpinned by a robust governance led by a taskforce that monitors progress of gender diversity and ensures its aims are communicated across the firm. The taskforce is made up of managing partner John Wood, senior partner Sasha Butterworth, head of real estate and future energy Maria Conolly,  chief people officer Helen Hodgkinson and equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) champion Esther Smith.

Helen Hodgkinson, chief people officer at TLT commented: “2024 started with TLT making an ambitious commitment to seeing 50% of partner positions filled by women by 2029. Our inclusion in The Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality is a huge endorsement of the efforts we are taking to tackle gender inequality, to support our female colleagues and to ensure everyone at the firm is given equal opportunities to succeed. We’re delighted to have been included in this prestigious list – thank you to everyone who has helped us achieve this milestone for a second year in a row.”  

Charlotte Woodworth, Gender Equality Director at Business in the Community, said: “Being named as a Times Top 50 employer for gender equality demonstrates TLT’s commitment to driving a more equitable, inclusive world. But while the employers who made the list are doing great work prioritising gender equality, there is still more work to do. From addressing pay disparities to better supporting those with caring responsibilities, many employees, women among them, still face barriers to finding employment and progressing in their careers. It is every employer’s responsibility to play their part in reducing and removing gender inequalities from the workplace, and research shows this isn’t just the right thing to do, it also makes business sense.”

Date published

20 June 2024

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