Diversity and Inclusion at Allens

Allens has long been committed to inclusion and diversity. Harnessing the many talents of their people helps them connect with their clients, solve complex problems, innovate and attract more great people.

As a team, Allens has many different stories, but they strive to stand side-by-side in delivering exceptional outcomes for their clients and communities.

Allens is building a culture of genuine inclusion to support the success of women in the firm. There is a strong commitment to building a culture where women and men can thrive and reach their full potential. Allens is well on its way to achieving its goal of 35% female partners by 2022.

• Allens has been recognised by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) as an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality for the past 15 consecutive years.
• Their career model, policies and initiatives have been developed with an emphasis on the engagement, professional development and promotion of women in the firm. 
• Allens has a strong and high-profile networking and mentoring group, Women at Allens, which is chaired by senior partners in each office. 
• Allens was one of the first organisations in Australia to become a signatory to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles.
• Allens is a signatory to the Law Council of Australia's National Equitable Briefing Policy which aims to eliminate briefing practices that consciously or unconsciously limit opportunities for female barristers and a signatory to the Council's Diversity and Equality Charter.
• Allens is also a signatory to the NSW Law Society's Charter for the Advancement of Women in the Legal Profession.
• 93% of Allens' people feel their immediate manager supports gender equality.
• Allens is proud to offer the best practice new parents package that removes the distinction between primary and non-primary (secondary) carers and gives all employees the time and flexibility they need to create strong family connections. The package includes 18 weeks paid parental leave and gives all eligible employees the opportunity to take concurrent leave with their partner.
• The Allens new parents package allows flexibility in the way that leaves can be taken and provides superannuation on both the paid and unpaid components of parental leave. For lawyers returning from more than three months of parental leave, the package includes a temporary break from billable expectations.
• Allens aims to have more men taking part in longer-term parental leave with the view of normalising caring behaviour and responsibilities, creating clear role models and breaking down stigma to reset social norms.
• Allens provides 1:1 parental leave transition coaching, a group coaching parents' program, priority placement at onsite childcare centres and access to external childcare and eldercare toolkits.

In 2009, Allens became the first top-tier law firm in Australia to launch a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). 

In 2018, Allens released its fifth RAP, focusing on the development of relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, the fostering of respect and the creation of opportunities.

• Through a range of RAP programs and initiatives, Allens invests in Indigenous commercial relationships; advocates and leads on reconciliation in the legal profession; creates employment opportunities in the firm and community; supports Indigenous clients and relevant public interest organisations through pro bono legal advice; builds cultural capacity; and tracks and reports on progress.
• Allens' Indigenous Legal Internship program commenced in 2006. Through that program, more than 120 Indigenous law students have taken up the opportunity to experience life at a commercial law firm.
• Allens is a founding member of Supply Nation, which provides a national directory of Indigenous businesses. Allens seeks opportunities to engage in commercial relationships with Indigenous businesses, to diversify its supply chain and provide indirect employment opportunities.
• For many years, Allens has sponsored and coordinated an annual legal moot for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander law students studying at Queensland Universities, giving those students first-hand experience with leading barristers and firms and access to the Queensland judiciary.

Allens established ALLin, its network for LGBTQ+ identifying partners, employees and their allies, in 2011. 

ALLin provides opportunities for members to build relationships with each other, our clients and the wider community through events, network meetings and pro bono legal assistance on matters of interest to the LGBTQ+ community.

• In recent years, Allens this has assisted LGBTQ+ asylum seekers with their claims, and supported local and international not-for-profits in their advocacy on transgender rights and expunging historical homosexual criminal convictions.
• All Allens policies are inclusive of LGBTQ+ employees and their families. Allens parental leave policy is specifically inclusive of same-sex partners and families, adoption, surrogacy, foster care and long-term kinship care.
• Allens also has a Trans and gender diverse policy to support any employee wishing to affirm their gender.

• #1 law firm, 2020 Top 100 Graduate Employers, GradAustralia
• Employer of Choice for Gender Equality 2019-20 (Workplace Gender Equality Agency)
• Bronze Employer, 2019 Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) 
• Member of Managing Partners' Diversity Forum
• Member of Diversity Council of Australia
• Member of Pride in Diversity
• Founding member of Resilience@Law
• Signatory to the Law Council of Australia's National Equitable Briefing Policy
• Signatory to the Law Council of Australia's Diversity and Equality Charter.
• Signatory to the NSW Law Society's Charter for the Advancement of Women in the Legal Profession.