Culture, diversity and CSR
“Working at Osborne Clarke is not only about learning to be great lawyers, it is also about learning to be responsible citizens.”
At Osborne Clarke, taking care of our people, our communities and the world at large is not only simply the right thing to do.
It's part of who we are.
D&I: creating inspiring and inclusive spaces
Sustaining an inclusive culture and increasing diversity are central to making Osborne Clarke a great place to work. We want our careers to be defined by our talent and contribution, not by who we are or where we’ve come from. We also recognise that a diverse workplace does not automatically mean an inclusive one, so we are committed to uncovering our blind spots and ensuring that everyone enjoys the same opportunities, regardless of who they are, who they love or where they come from.
Through our internal networks and our partnerships with external organisations, we work to highlight and address inequalities and to ensure that Osborne Clarke is – and remains – a workplace that works for everyone.
Our active support includes:
- Being certified by the UK National Equality Standard
- Signing up to the Mindful Business Charter
- Joining Working Families and Carers UK to help us implement flexible and family friendly business practices
- Members of the myPLUS recruiters club, ensuring that our recruitment process is accessible for everyone
The OC difference lies with our people. So we don’t just make sure our future lawyers have all the legal and technical training to succeed – we care about their personal needs, too. That means:
OC REACH (Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage) aims to increase ethnic minority representation in the firm from recruitment to senior level, while growing awareness of the different cultures already present.
Our LGBTQ+ network supports every member of the LGBTQ+ community, working on raising awareness through events and knowledge sessions, and ensuring that supportive policies are put into place at firm level. We're proud to have ranked in the Top 100 Employers in the 2024 Stonewall Equality Index and to have retained our silver award for our commitment to becoming a leading LGBTQ+ employer.
The core focus of the OC Gender network is to improve gender diversity at the most junior and senior levels of the firm. Our most recent pay gap report provides more insight into our progress and plans.
OC Age addresses challenges that colleagues might face at various stages of their lives and careers. They also work with other diversity strands to tackle intersectional challenges. We have signed the Age-friendly Employer pledge, and ensure that we provide an age friendly culture and environment that is fit for individuals across generations.
From free fruit, health checks and a flu vaccination programme, to free fitness sessions - our new Bristol office even has in-house yoga and spin studios. We also have a network of around 100 mental health champions who are trained to spot any difficulties early on.
We’re also committed to ensuring our office, technology and recruitment processes remain as accessible as possible, making reasonable changes to accommodate differing needs – whether that’s physical disabilities, or in relation to neuro-diversities such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and autism. If you require any adjustments to participate in our recruitment process, let us know and we’ll do all we can to support you.
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Our social mobility network actively challenges and supports the firm in facilitating access to law for all through awareness and education, inclusive recruitment and retention strategies and social mobility partnerships and outreach.
In 2023 we ranked 19th in the Social Mobility Employer Index, maintaining a place among the top 75 companies for social diversity.
Learn more from our 'Law Beyond Limits' podcast series.
OC REACH (Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage) aims to increase ethnic minority representation in the firm from recruitment to senior level, while growing awareness of the different cultures already present. We have an Executive Champion for Race who was appointed to help speed up the pace of change, and we have put together a statement on race which lists the actions we are taking.
Our LGBT+ network supports every member of the LGBT community, working on raising awareness through events and knowledge sessions, partnering with external organisations such as Stonewall, where we were a signatory on the Trans Rights are Human Rights campaign, and ensuring that supportive policies are put into place at firm level.
This network hosts various events and initiatives. From mentoring, to sponsoring a female only GC roundtable and a female ‘rising star’ networking event. It’s currently working to make recommendations to improve female progression in one of our practice groups. Our most recent Gender Pay Gap report provides more insight into our progress and plans.
Our OC Age network aims to address changing workplace demographics and shine a light on age inclusivity. We want to be prepared for the challenges and opportunities that come with a widening of what is considered ‘working age’ and ensure our people enjoy the right support at all stages of their working lives.
From free fruit, health checks and a flu vaccination programme, to free fitness sessions - our new Bristol office will even have in-house yoga and spin studios. We also have a network of around 100 mental health champions who are trained to spot any difficulties early on.
We’re also committed to ensuring our office, technology and recruitment processes remain as accessible as possible, making reasonable changes to accommodate differing needs – whether that’s physical disabilities, or in relation to neuro-diversities such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and autism. If you require any adjustments to participate in our recruitment process, let us know and we’ll do all we can to support you.
One of the key differentiators of our firm is the complete diversity of perspectives we bring together – only made possible by ensuring we hire people from a range of backgrounds. Our Social Diversity network supports and celebrates the social diversity within the firm while offering support to young people through our external outreach programmes with the Social Mobility Business Partnership and STRIVE.
Being a Good Employer is the first pillar, encompassing – among other things – our D&I objectives. Being a Good Corporate Citizen is the second pillar, while the third focuses on being a Good Business. Within each of these areas there are countless initiatives and projects with fantastic opportunities for you to get involved with the issues lying closest to your heart. Have other ideas about what we could be doing? We’ll want to hear them. Because within this rapidly evolving space there’s always going to be ways to do things better.
The dedication and passion of our volunteers has had real and measurable impact across our wider community, as well as within the firm, and we’re incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved. Find out more in our Osborne Clarke for Good Report.
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We work to make sure that we do business in a fair and sustainable way. That means committing to ethical procurement, fair supplier management, an open dialogue with our stakeholders and good governance.
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