Next week, Hogan Lovells UK and Africa managing partner Susan Bright will be discussing diversity and inclusion – and the imperative for law firms to tackle these issues – at the first ever LegalWeek CONNECT conference in London.

She will be joined by CMS senior partner Penelope Warne, Santa Fe group general counsel Janet McCarthy, Eversheds Sutherland co-CEO Lee Ranson and Fieldfisher partner Alison Dennis to talk about what law firms have been doing to date, where are they going wrong, and how they can ensure they have the right structures in place.

Here, Susan discusses the challenges law firms are struggling with; how Hogan Lovells is addressing these issues; and whether the renewed focus on the problem of sexual harassment will have an impact on the drive to increase female representation in law.

Why do you think law firms have, to date, struggled with diversity and inclusivity, particularly at partner level?

Many law firms are doing great things and have made good progress, but we recognise there is always more to be done. There are two core issues to address – making sure we attract a diverse pool of talent to join us, and retention. Creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where people can be themselves at work and feel valued is key; and this requires diversity and inclusion to be truly embedded in people management and firm processes at every level. People also want control over when and how they work, and giving them that trust can be a significant motivator.

For you, what are the biggest issues to address? (ie gender, race, social mobility, disability)

A truly diverse and inclusive workplace needs to feel that way for everyone. Our UK practice has a range of active networks, including Pride; Disability and Wellbeing; Multicultural; Working Families; 50:50 – our women's network; and StepUp – our network for trainees, associates and senior associates. We also have expansive widening access outreach programmes, from an early age.

In the past year we have had a real focus on LGBT+, with the launch of a gender transitioning in the workplace policy and trans-inclusion training last November and our global LGBT+ and allies network, Pride+, in May. Wellbeing has been another core focus, with an emphasis on mental health, including participating in the Lord Mayor's 'This is Me' campaign. We have also introduced a global agile working policy, which we are embedding in our business.

Why is it important that firms get diversity right?

A diverse and inclusive culture is vital in attracting and retaining talent. We also want our people to perform at their best, and to do that we all need to be both physically and mentally well, as well as being able to be ourselves at work. We want our business to reflect the diverse client base we serve; and that is the expectation of our clients.

How can diversity help firms win business?

It's simple – diversity of thought leads to better solutions for our clients, most of who prioritise diversity in their own organisations and expect to see it reflected in their advisers. Increasingly, we see clients making decisions and determining who gets appointed by reference to diversity credentials and level of engagement with the diversity and inclusion agenda.

How do you approach it at Hogan Lovells?

Diversity is at the core of who we are and how we do business. We are a high-performing global team with people from different backgrounds, perspectives and life experiences. We are at our best when we can be ourselves – working together and delivering for our clients.

We have a global diversity and inclusion (D&I) committee, chaired by partner and board member Ruth Grant, who ensure diversity is embedded in everything we do. They are supported in implementation by a shadow committee and we have also devolved responsibility to regional and practice management to further embed D&I within their own teams, day to day.

We want our firm to reflect the diversity of our clients and the communities where we work. Our widening access programmes for ethnically diverse, socially disadvantaged and LGBT+ students help us to reach a diverse talent pool; and once they are here we focus on retaining them. All of our people are given full opportunity to develop and excel, and we have set a target of 30% female partners by 2022. We missed our global women partner target of 25% this year by a whisker, and expect to have achieved it by 1 Jan 2018. We are at 25% already in the UK and exceed 30% for women in management roles globally.

We also partner with clients and other organisations to deepen our understanding of diversity issues. We firmly believe that by collaborating we can achieve an even greater impact.

What are the mistakes firms often make? How do they fix them?

We all learn from our mistakes. The most common being launching a few initiatives and then assuming the work is done. It can also be a mistake to focus on one aspect of D&I at the expense of others. Everyone must feel valued and equally able to progress. This is a core management issue and has to be driven from the top.

How should the industry as a whole deal with the issue of diversity and inclusivity?

Keep addressing the issues. Celebrate successes but recognise there is always more to do. Learn from our mistakes. Most importantly, collaborate and share experience and best practice to achieve greater impact.

Should there be more initiatives like PRIME to cover other aspects of diversity?

Collaboration and strength in numbers are undoubtedly hugely beneficial, and many inter-law firm networks exist; for example, InterLaw, Black Solicitors Network and the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (US), to name a few. Many law firms are also part of the 30% Club.

How do you think all of the post-Weinstein focus on sexual harassment in the industry will change things?

Sexual harassment is an issue we take extremely seriously at Hogan Lovells. We strongly encourage our people to speak up if they have any concerns and support them where they do. We believe that people are able to contribute most in a diverse and inclusive environment, where they feel comfortable and able to be themselves. We would hope this is reflected in all law firms, and more openness can only be a good thing.