Richard Wong
Nov. 3, 2016
Osler is proud to be recognized as the recipient of the 2016 Corporate Diversity and Leadership Award by the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (FACL). The awards celebrate individuals and organizations who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in achieving greater diversity in the legal profession.
Cultivating a culture that embraces difference is something that has long been imprinted on Osler’s core value system. Osler partner Douglas Rienzo, who has been chair of Osler’s Diversity Committee since its inception in 2010 and who recently won a Lexpert Zenith diversity award, says being recognized for this FACL Award helps reinforce our beliefs.
“It is a great honour for Osler to receive the FACL Corporate Diversity and Leadership Award,” Douglas tells the FACL. “In 1968, we were one of the first large corporate law firms in Canada to admit a woman — Bertha Wilson — to partnership, and Osler has worked very hard at all levels to ensure that we foster a genuinely open and inclusive workplace culture that supports legal professionals of all backgrounds.
“To that end, we continue to partner with FACL and other organizations who share our goals. To receive recognition for our efforts is humbling and gratifying.”
FACL is a “diverse coalition of Asian Canadian legal professionals who promote equity, justice, and opportunity for Asian Canadian legal professionals and the broader community,” according to its website.
Douglas says Osler’s values align well with those of the FACL.
“The Asian-Canadian community is such a strong and vibrant part of the Canadian mosaic,” Douglas tells the FACL. “With the support of the legal community including organizations such as FACL and the provincial law societies, we would like to see more mentoring and active support for Asian-Canadian lawyers to attain leadership roles in their legal careers, whether it be in private practice or in the public sphere.”