With 4,949 people working across 24 major centres worldwide, and more than half of these outside the UK, Allen & Overy truly is a global firm.  We are renowned for the high quality of our Corporate, Banking and International Capital Markets advice, but also have major strengths in areas such as Dispute Resolution, Tax, Employment and Employee Benefits, Real Estate and Private Client.

Diversity and inclusion at Allen & Overy is a business imperative in order for us to be a successful practice in today’s global market.  Our vision for success includes our aims to create a culture where everyone feels valued and respected, ensure people from diverse backgrounds feel motivated to develop their careers with us and support the evolution of a legal profession that reflects the diversity of the communities we seek to serve.

To achieve our vision, we have three objectives.  To:

• broaden access to the firm and the legal profession as a whole;
• create a culture of inclusion and respect; and
  
• monitor our progress.

We work continuously to broaden access to Allen & Overy and to the legal profession as a whole.  Our aims are to:

• widen the talent pool from which we select the brightest and best graduates
• give talented students the opportunity and aspiration for a career in law, and
• have a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities in which we operate.

To achieve these aims, we have:

• Increased the number of university campuses we visit by 56% over the past three years.
• In 2005/2006 we accepted application from 90 different universities, and our trainee intake came from 34 different universities.
• Over 50% of our trainee intake is female, more than 15% from an ethnic minority background.
• We participate in Target Chances and Pure Potential: events which aim to encourage students from ethnic minorities and social disadvantaged communities to consider a career in law.
• We support initiatives to encourage high potential students from non-traditional educational backgrounds to apply for degrees at Oxford and Cambridge.  These include the Clare College, Cambridge Bursary Scheme.
• We are a founder sponsor of the Sutton Trust Pathways to Law programme, a charity which aims to increase the educational opportunities which can lead to a career in law for young people from non-privileged backgrounds.

To ensure we are up-to-date with and support Diversity and Inclusion best practice, A&O in London is a member or sponsor of the following organisations: Aurora (gender), Blind in Business, Black Lawyers Directory, Employers’ Forum on Age, Employers’ Forum on Disability, Pure Potential, GTI Target Chances, Stonewall (gay, lesbian and bisexual), and Working Families (flexible working and family friendly).