Diversity & Inclusion

Our approach to diversity & inclusion

Our approach

We are committed to supporting and constantly seeking to improve diversity and inclusion at Carpmaels & Ransford

We recognise that diversity of thought is vital to our business, enabling us to approach challenges differently and offer our clients creative and original solutions.

We believe that the steps we are taking will ensure that Carpmaels & Ransford continues to be a supportive and healthy workplace for our employees, which in turn ensures that we provide the best possible service for our clients.

Our commitment to equality & inclusivity

Our commitment to equality and diversity is currently focused on Gender Equality, LGBTQ+, and Race & Ethnicity. We also have a dedicated group of Mental Health First Aiders who are helping to remove the stigma around mental health and support those in need.

We host a Diversity Day annually, where we come together as a firm to discuss and share ideas around these core areas with a series of talks from external speakers.

  • Gender Equality

We are developing several initiatives to support the development of female employees and working parents to ensure all doors are open to them. We have introduced a core skills development programme to make sure everyone is supported to reach their full potential, and we have also taken steps to reduce bias in our recruitment initiatives.

We were among the first patent attorney firms to publish our Gender Pay Gap Report, at a stage when we were not required to do so by law.

  • LGBTQ+

We run regular events to educate and raise awareness of LGBTQ+ issues and we have undertaken a review of our firm policies to further inclusivity.

We are also a member of the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme, the leading employers’ programme for ensuring inclusivity for LGBTQ+ employees. We contribute to the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index which enables us to benchmark our progress and identify areas for improvement.

  • Race & Ethnicity

In 2020 we signed the Race at Work Charter and committed to five calls to action to support ethnic minority employees in the workplace.

We have implemented several initiatives to promote diversity in our recruitment. The firm recently partnered with Generating Genius to host a virtual open day for 13 Black undergraduate STEM students. This year, the firm is also providing paid internship positions to Black students through the 10,000 Black Interns programme. In addition, we are partnering with Sanctuary Graduates, a specialist graduate recruitment agency that has diverse campus connections and networks across the UK’s top universities.

We also support IP Inclusive, a UK based network of intellectual property professionals working to promote diversity and inclusivity in the industry. We provide both financial and logistical support to its initiatives and were among the first signatories to its charter in 2015.

As part of our commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workspace, we have adopted The Halo Code, the UK’s first Black hair code. The Code explicitly protects and champions the rights of staff to come to work with natural hair and protective hairstyles associated with their racial, ethnic, and cultural identities.

Equality and inclusivity inform every part of our people strategy, from ensuring equal access to work experience and diversity in our recruitment, to supporting the career development of everyone at Carpmaels & Ransford.

We believe in work-life balance

A healthy work/life balance is very important to us and we run regular wellbeing events in addition to the large number of clubs and social activities that are available to everyone at the firm.

We recognise the importance of finding a balance between work and home commitments. We are supportive of agile working as a way for employees to balance demanding careers with busy home lives and are constantly looking to improve this while maintaining our much-valued culture of collaboration and originality. We also provide support for working parents with a comprehensive benefits package.

Everyone at Carpmaels & Ransford is given one day’s paid leave each year to participate in our CSR programme, which includes supporting our local community through partnerships with the Social Mobility Foundation and Holborn Community Association. More information on our CSR projects can be found on our CSR page.

Our commitment to employee wellbeing

We are committed to providing and sustaining a happy and healthy working environment for all our people. In 2021 we announced our first cohort of Mental Health First Aiders who have been trained to recognise and support colleagues with mental health struggles.

Last year the firm marked Mental Health Awareness Week with a series of events including a forest bathing experience and a workshop with a positive psychology expert on adversity and building resilience.

We also have an employee assistance programme to help employees with personal and professional issues, alongside private healthcare covering both physical and mental wellbeing.