A&O senior partner Wim Dejonghe argues a focus on diversity is still necessary for firms, especially at a time of crisis.

As we continue to live through the Covid-19 pandemic and plan for a future that will in many ways look different to before, we need to take account of the lessons we have learnt from previous crises.

The danger in times of economic stress and social upheaval is that organisations understandably become fixated on the business of survival and let other important issues drop down the list of priorities, or fall off the agenda altogether.

This is particularly a risk with diversity and inclusion. But having made progress against many of the targets we have set ourselves at Allen & Overy – for example with women making up 45% of partner promotions this year – we cannot afford to let that happen.

Our ambition to lead this industry as a progressive global firm depends on our success in driving all aspects of diversity and inclusion forward. This is the only way we will ensure that barriers to progression do not exist for any groups – which in turn is how we will increase representation at senior levels.

We know, too, that clients are still determined to work with law firms that reflect their own ambitions in this area. We have had conversations with clients recently about what happened across our industry in the wake of the global financial crisis – where gains made in the proportions of women and ethnic minority associates came to a halt, representation at partner level fell, and a greater number of women left the industry when restructurings took place.

Making progress is a long game – perhaps the work of 10 or 15 years – because we are undoing a model that has dominated our industry for a century or more. So we are clear, and our clients are clear, that we cannot let the current crisis drag us backwards.

This means ensuring that women do not lose out on opportunities during lockdowns because, as an example of 'benevolent bias', they are assumed to be dealing more with the burden of childcare and home schooling.

It also means considering the impact of increased social isolation on some of our LGBT+ and disabled colleagues. If you are LGBT+ and have an unsupportive home environment, lockdown is hard. But in other ways, virtual meetings and social events are giving us more insight into our colleagues' personal lives, which brings with it the need to think carefully and be respectful.

The anti-racism protests we have seen this year have also given us the momentum to speed up progress on racial diversity. Ethnic minority and particularly Black lawyers are under-represented at the highest levels of our profession and we all need to be more open about this issue. This is not something our ethnic minority colleagues can fix alone – we must all work harder, as businesses and individuals, to create sustainable change.

Fundamentally, our entire success depends upon attracting and retaining talent – and talent does not reside within one group alone. Brilliance, intelligence and inventiveness exist in all types of people, so if businesses are mostly recruiting and promoting one type of person it implies that they are promoting for comfort, not talent. I don't see those businesses sustaining their success within a complex and changing world. As one client put it, if you don't diversify, eventually you run out of new ideas.

Now, during difficult times, we need a diverse mix of people more than ever so that we can navigate our way through the current situation and emerge as a stronger, more relevant and more sustainable business – and one that has stayed focused on the right things, even in the midst of a crisis.