Diversity and inclusion at Osler

Diversity and inclusion is a key priority for our firm, reflected in how we support our clients, the communities in which we work and participate, and most fundamentally in the importance we place on continuing to build a workplace where talented people with diverse viewpoints, characteristics and backgrounds come together to provide our clients with the highest quality legal services.

Building a truly diverse and inclusive workplace is a key priority and business imperative for our leadership team. We are dedicated to fostering a workplace culture in which all individuals who work at Osler feel respected and included, can bring their full selves to work and do not face obstacles to success because of their backgrounds or experiences. We strive to attract, retain and promote lawyers and staff who are the best at what they do and who reflect the diversity of the communities where we live and work. In addition, we strive to promote diversity in support of our relationships with our clients and to the support the institutions and communities from which we recruit our diverse talent.

How we support diversity

At Osler, we have implemented a number of initiatives and continue to identify additional steps we can take to further build a diverse and inclusive workplace. Along with our focus on internal firm programs, our Diversity Committee works to promote diversity in support of our clients, the broader communities in which we live and the institutions from which we recruit our talent.

Recent activities include the following:

• Our Partnership Board has determined that the advancement of a greater percentage of women into our partnership is a strategic priority for the Firm, with the overall objective of greater gender parity. In support of this goal, significant resources have been committed to a multi-faceted program, the Advancement of Women Lawyers initiative, that includes mentoring, coaching and training, among other things. 
• In partnership with other Canadian law firms, Osler committed $1.75 million over 10 years to the groundbreaking Black Future Lawyers (BFL) beginning in 2021. BFL is a collaboration between the University of Toronto’s (UofT) Faculty of Law, its Black Law Students Association, members of UofT’s Black alumni community, and the broader legal profession that provides engagement and mentorship opportunities to Black undergraduate students who want to become lawyers. This partnership will provide operational funding to BFL, providing the stability and security needed to allow BFL to establish chapters across universities throughout Canada, while investing in the future of the next generation of Black lawyers.
• Osler is proud to partner with Women General Counsel Canada in support of the launch of their General Counsel University. The GCU program is committed to providing a curriculum for GC's at every stage of their career that will enhance their contribution to the C-suite and help them advance business at their organizations. Osler will present sessions on strategic leadership and design thinking for GCs.
• In June 2021, Osler hosted our annual Pride event, “Where are you in Equity, Diversity, Inclusion?” The webinar was hosted by Elliot Smith, Partner, with guest speaker, Tee Garnett, Executive Lead and Strategic Advisor, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), SickKids. Tee spoke about the institutionalization of discrimination and how individuals and institutions alike can create safer and braver spaces for everyone.
• In 2020,  along with other leading Canadian law firms, Osler signed the BlackNorth Initiative Law Firm Pledge, an important step in furthering our commitment to addressing anti-Black and other forms of structural racism in the legal profession. The pledge asks firms to commit to specific actions and targets designed to end anti-Black systemic racism and create opportunities for those in underrepresented BIPOC communities.
• We continue to support and expand our Legal Professional Resource Groups, including the Osler Black Professionals, South Asian Lawyers, Women Lawyers, Pride and Asia-Pacific Affinity networks to bring together legal professionals with shared experiences and backgrounds.
• All members of Osler have received unconscious bias training. In 2020, the program was rolled out in a virtual interactive format.
• In 2018, we established the Osler Diversity Scholarship Program for eligible second-year law students. This annual program provides up to two $2,500 scholarships each year to law students who, like us, seek to promote diversity and inclusion.
• In 2012, we conducted our first demographic survey to take a snapshot of our workforce in terms of gender, sexual orientation, racialized status and other characteristics, in order to establish a baseline so that we could measure our progress going forward. We were one of the first law firms in Canada to undertake such a survey. We have since repeated the survey in 2014, 2016, 2018 and have recently completed conducting our 2020 survey.

 

Diversity firsts and recognition

• In 1968, Osler became the first large corporate law firm in Canada to admit a woman as a partner, Bertha Wilson, who went on to become the first female Justice appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada.
• Dale Ponder retired from Osler as a partner and National Co-Chair at the end of December 2021. Before becoming Co-Chair, Dale led the Firm as our National Managing Partner and Chief Executive from 2009 to 2016 at a time when few women were in leadership positions at large law firms. During that time, she fostered an environment in which women were encouraged to pursue leadership opportunities.
• In 2022, Osler was recognized by Accenture with its Outside Counsel Diversity Award. The annual award celebrates firms working with Accenture that are making tangible progress in inclusion, diversity and equity.
• Osler was named “Firm of the Year” for Canada by Euromoney Women in Business Law Awards 2020 and was recognized as being the “Best Firm for Gender Diversity” in North America and for having the “Best Gender Diversity Initiative in North America” for a National Firm.