Pinsent Masons

Brook Graham, Pinsent Masons' wholly-owned diversity and inclusion consulting business, is working to better integrate with the global law firm and cross-refer more clients as it continues its expansion into Asia and Australia.

Brook Graham's London-based director, Stuart Afleck, said there is a "relatively healthy" crossover between Pinsent Masons and Brook Graham clients. But there is room to do more.

"Clearly there's internal education, like in any post-acquisition, around who we are and what we do, and how to equip our Pinsent Masons colleagues around that and position us very clearly to clients," he said.

The diversity and inclusion offering is included in bids and pitches to clients and potential clients, particularly where Pinsent Masons might be approached to serve as a sole provider to a company on employment issues and where the firm can make what Afleck terms a "holistic offering".

Brook Graham, acquired by the law firm in 2017, also wants to introduce some of its clients to Pinsent Masons, he said.

The diversity and inclusion specialist has worked with major companies around the world, including Oxford Instruments, Shell, Nokia and Cromwell Property Group, to help them develop more diverse and inclusive workplaces.

Afleck said the company has been examining how the Brook Graham team can best make client introductions to Pinsent Masons, and will do more of this as the consulting business expands across Australia and Asia.

Last month, Brook Graham announced it is expanding its offices to Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore to meet growing demand from existing clients. It has appointed Justine Cooper to head up activity in region.

But even before launching in Asia-Pacific, Brook Graham had been working with multinational clients in Australia and Asia in the consumer goods, financial services, mining and construction sectors, Cooper said.

And those clients have a range of reasons for seeking out the firm's diversity and inclusion practice. Some organisations hire the firm because they want to boost the performance and engagement of their staff internally, to ensure people feel welcome and valued and that they have a voice.

"There are organisations that we work with… that really recognise what embracing diversity can do in terms of greater creativity, bringing that diversity of thought and innovation," Cooper said.

This is particularly true across the Pacific region, where increasing competition for talent or the drive for innovation and competitive advantage are strong, she noted.

In addition, some clients seek out the consulting arm because there is an increasing expectation among the public, influenced by movements such as #MeToo, that companies will be more diverse and inclusive, and they need guidance to meet those expectations. And then there are some clients that hire Brook Graham because their management has a social commitment to equity.

Finally, some organisations seek out the company because they "have had challenges internally", Cooper said. They call in Brook Graham as a result of workplace grievances such as allegations of sexual harassment or adverse coverage in the media.

But resolving specific issues is not the goal.

"This is absolutely about making sure that we work with leaders, with HR professionals, with legal counsel and with organisations to help them move on and progress," Cooper said.

It's not only about making sure a company has followed all the guidelines around having best practice policies, but it's also about having some honest conversations around what are acceptable behaviours and what great behaviours look like, she explained

Cooper describes diversity as not only the differences we can see – race, gender, religion, sexual orientation and language – but also those invisible differences, such as diversity of thought, different thinking styles and different backgrounds.

"The differences are what make makes each of us wonderfully unique," she said.

In Australia, the importance of diversity of thought was highlighted in the report by this year's Royal Commission into misconduct in financial services, which highlighted the dangers of "group think" at the highest levels of companies.

"It's hugely compelling and far greater than looking solely around those visible differences," Cooper noted, adding that while diversity is about difference, inclusion is about behaviour – creating an environment where people "feel connected, respected, and valued".

The relationship between U.K.-based Pinsent Masons and Brook Graham was established long before the law firm acquired the diversity adviser two years ago. Pinsent Masons had been a Brook Graham client since 2004, getting help with its own diversity and inclusion efforts.

Since then, Pinsent Masons has been named one of five "diversity champions" in The Lawyer UK 200 Diversity Report 2015; has won the Diversity Innovation award at the Legal Week Innovation Awards 2017; and has been recognised as one of the best multinational employers for LGBT+ staff in Stonewall's 2019 Top Global Employers index.

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Pinsent Masons Expands Diversity Consulting Arm into Asia and Australia