Latham Honored With Two UK Diversity Legal Awards

Latham & Watkins has received two UK Diversity Legal Awards in recognition of the firm’s efforts to help create a more diverse workplace and improve access to justice. The annual award program is an initiative of the Black Solicitors Network that celebrates excellence in promoting all aspects of equality, diversity, and inclusion in the legal profession, including in relation to gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, and social mobility.

The firm received the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative of the Year Award for recently launching the First Generation Professionals (FGP) Group. The group advocates for and assists first generation professionals in their advancement at the firm through a range of recruiting efforts, mentoring and training programs, networking opportunities, and social events. Latham has developed a number of global affinity groups, including the FGP Group, to help enhance the diversity efforts of the firm and the legal profession at large.

Latham also received the inaugural Access to Justice Award for partnering with Amnesty International and Save the Children UK on a landmark project that is shaping UK refugee law and policy. Latham supported the charities in their efforts to improve the rights of refugee children and their families when seeking asylum in the UK. As a result of these efforts, the Refugees (Family Reunion) (No.2) Bill 2017-2019 was introduced in Parliament and has since passed the first and second readings in the House of Commons.

Latham was also shortlisted in the Managing Diverse Talent category for having held the firm’s LGBTQ retreat in Europe. The retreat connected members of the firm’s European offices for a full day of workshops, panel discussions, and networking to build relationships and identify new initiatives to support diversity.