VISION
Cox & Palmer is striving to be a firm that is diverse, equitable and inclusive in its day-to-day operations and to the outside world, through its policies, strategies, actions and hiring practices. We believe this will lead to an inclusive culture that respects and maximizes the contributions of all of the members of our team.
MISSION
Cox & Palmer is committed to promoting equity and diversity and encouraging a culture of inclusion in its Firm and the broader legal profession. We strive to create and foster a supportive and inclusive environment where all Firm members can realize their maximum potential within the Firm.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Guiding principles are the values, beliefs, and behaviours that we will adhere to in the execution and support of our Equity, Diversity & Inclusion strategy. Cox & Palmer will:
- build awareness for the importance of EDI and its mandate in the firm
- engage all members of the firm in the development and execution of its EDI initiatives
- develop and implement actions and activities that result in the recruitment and retention of a more diverse workforce
- promote human rights and respect for all, modeling an inclusive workplace built on respect for one another
- build the skills required to be successful in an all-inclusive environment
- work with local EDI committees to ensure each office is engaged in all of the above items
OUR EDI STRATEGIC PRIORITIES 2023 – 2025:
Our internal research and exploration has resulted in five distinct themes that form the foundation of our EDI priorities:
Leadership Commitment and Accountability
Teams look to their leaders for direction. Equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives with the demonstrated support and commitment of the leadership team have the greatest opportunity for success. We will openly communicate our commitment and strengthen leadership capability and accountability.
Cultivating Diverse Talent
With a highly educated workforce, law schools and other educational institutions offering legal programing, are the entry point for lawyers, paralegals and legal assistants into the legal profession. As such, our team should reflect the diversity of the educational institutions offering legal programming and the community at large. We will partner with these institutions to support EDI initiatives amongst their student population. We will continue to refine our recruitment processes to eliminate bias and ensure all applicants, regardless of background, are being properly included in our processes.
Workplace Analysis and Issue Identification
Through consultation with members of our team from across the region and a variety of roles, in conjunction with a comprehensive third-party survey (as required), we will clearly identify areas for improvement, and develop and implement plans to address critical issues.
Training & Education
Provide ongoing training and education to our team to ensure we raise awareness and continually foster an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplace.
Celebrating and Promoting Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Internal and external promotion, support, and observance of EDI focused initiatives.
EDI Progress Report:
In a world and workplace that is ever-changing and evolving, achieving our EDI vision is a journey, not a destination. We provide the following progress report in that same spirit in order to demonstrate our efforts toward that ongoing commitment:
- We have established EDI co-chairs who report directly to the firm’s board of directors.
- We have incorporated an EDI report as a standing report for each board meeting.
- We have solidified our commitment to EDI through our EDI policy and strategy.
- To gain a deeper understanding of our employees’ experience, we have undertaken an in-depth D&I survey with an industry leading external supplier to capture the level of diversity and inclusion at Cox & Palmer.
- We have used the survey data and recommendations, in combination with client requirements, to make informed decisions on how to best improve, develop and implement programs and policies that will lead to a more inclusive workplace.
- We have created a 3 year EDI strategy with measurable goals and actions.
- Under that strategy, we have and will continue to implement valuable training and education for our workforce.
- We have instituted EDI scholarships/bursaries at the three law schools in Atlantic Canada specifically for equity deserving under-represented students.
- We are members of Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion.
- We have a year-long schedule of important EDI related observances that we support with internal communications and access to educational resources; external communications in order to raise awareness and demonstrate our commitment; and, in some cases, local participation in related events.
Cox & Palmer is a member of the Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network (LFDIN), and the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI). We are pleased to partner with organizations dedicated to the promotion of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion.
