We are delighted to have been named by Accenture as winner of its first-ever 2021 Outside Counsel Diversity Awards, alongside Arthur Cox, Covington & Burling and Crowell & Moring. The awards honour the company’s legal service providers for their exceptional efforts in 2020 to create a culture of equality in their workplaces and communities.
Accenture’s Legal team selected the winners from more than 65 firms, considering awards across small, medium and large law firms in three geographic regions. Firms are recognised for their diverse representation, both internally and on staffing Accenture matters. The awards also celebrate remarkable commitment to inclusion and diversity activities by organisations.
“We celebrate these firms’ commitment to thinking differently, with an eye toward action and outcomes,” said Joel Unruch, general counsel and corporate secretary, Accenture. “I truly believe that we can drive meaningful change in our industry by innovating and working together.”
According to the judges, Mason Hayes & Curran LLP has gone above and beyond its peers to shift its culture to create opportunities for diverse hiring and progression for people of diverse backgrounds and ensure diverse staffing on Accenture matters. The firm has also invested in efforts to increase the representation of women and ethnic minorities at senior and executive levels.
Commenting on the award, Melanie Crowley, Partner and Head of Employment & Benefits said “We are honoured to be recognised by the Accenture Outside Counsel Diversity Awards. In Mason Hayes & Curran LLP, we work hard to ensure that we have a diverse and inclusive workplace for our people, but also for our clients and suppliers. To be acknowledged for this by an organisation like Accenture who we consider to be at forefront of Diversity and Inclusion is very rewarding and incredibly humbling."
Through our policies and CSR we have invested significantly to increase diversity in the legal professional through initiatives like the UCD Sutherland Opportunities Fund and Trinity Access Programme. We have also revamped our own recruitment programmes to ensure that our teams are more representative of society.
Although we have made progress we know that this is an ongoing challenge and we strive to be a worthy winner of this award, now and in the future.”
For more on the Outside Counsel Diversity Awards, click here.
