Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
At ByrneWallace LLP, diversity is a key element of our inclusive culture.
We are committed to promoting an atmosphere of inclusion, transparency and openness, and fostering a working environment in which outstanding people are attracted to and retained by the firm regardless of religion, race or national origin, gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, disability, age or membership of the traveller community.
We seek to establish an environment that values diversity of background and experience in the workforce at all levels of the organisation.
In valuing diversity, and in standing strong for the principles of fairness that make managing diversity easier, we enhance our profile as a firm that genuinely values its employees and its clients.
Below are some examples of initiatives we have established and developed to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and within access to employment and promotion:
- Mentorship Programme: Mentoring enables continued development by providing a mechanism to learn and enhance skills by leveraging experience, expertise and different perspectives to promote supervision, growth, engagement, performance, retention, excellence and best in class people to deliver outstanding client service. This allows for personalised and tailored growth. The programme is particularly beneficial in establishing female leaders as they progress through their careers.
- Project Homegrown: As a working example of how we manage equity, diversity and inclusion, we have developed a bespoke programme to assist us in “recruiting from within” to support people who join us as support staff (frequently non-native English speakers) to transition to professional roles.
- Family Friendly Policies: The firm offers a range of family friendly policies, including maternity, paternity, adoptive, parents, parental, and flexible working, in order to ensure all staff have the opportunity to balance family and work commitments. The firm is also committed to supporting all staff returning from maternity leave and ensure the transition period is as supportive, consistent and helpful as possible.
- LGBTQ+ community: The firm hosts a variety of activities to celebrate and acknowledge the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. This includes a month of activities during Pride Month every June. Activities include:
- Hosting an annual fundraising coffee morning in aid of the firm’s selected LGBTQ+ charity for Pride month. Charities partners have included the Dublin Front Runners and ShoutOut.
- Fundraising and taking part in the Dublin Front Runners annual Pride Run in Phoenix Park.
- Hosting a Pride Speaker Series with a range of keynote speakers addressing topics related to the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, such as:
- Margot Slattery, Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion and Belonging at ISS A/S.
- Antoinette Moriarty is a psychotherapist and head of Law Society of Ireland’s Psychological Service who discussed ‘Belonging at Work: Building a High Impact Law Firm’.
- James O’Hagan with LGBT Ireland who discussed the ‘LGBTI+ Champions Programme’.
- Nerilee Ceatha, a SPHeRE scholar at UCD who discussed ‘Beyond a binary: ‘leaning with’ LGBTI+ youth’.
- Supporting staff representing the firm in the Dublin Pride Parade.
ByrneWallace LLP is also a member of the OUTLaw committee, an organisation that seeks to bring together LGBTQ+ people and allies in the Irish legal sector.
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Gender Pay Gap Report
The Gender Pay Gap Information Act was signed into Irish Law in 2021 and from 2024 employers with more than 150 employees are required to publish their gender pay gap across a number of specific areas including gender based differences in mean and median hourly remuneration, data on bonus payments, mean and median pay gaps for part time employees and for those on temporary contracts, and proportions of male and female employees in the lower, lower middle, upper middle and upper quartile pay bands.
Organisations are also required to set out the narrative for any gender pay gap and what measures, if any are being taken or proposed to be taken to reduce the pay gap.
In accordance with regulations, ByrneWallace LLP is pleased to publish our Gender Pay Gap Report, including our Gender Balance Action Plan which outlines a number of actions the firm is implementing to promote gender balance in the workplace.
