Diversity & inclusion

Diversity & inclusion

Diversity of experience, background, and thought is part of what makes LALIVE so special. We value personal growth and collective success, making the most of everyone’s unique talents, ensuring each person has a voice and the opportunity to thrive. The diversity and inclusion reflected in our teams also mean better solutions for our clients.


LALIVE’s approach to equal opportunities

The firm recognises that a diverse team provides strong foundations for an inclusive and collaborative culture, which ensures we can recruit and retain the best individual talent.

LALIVE is committed to promoting equal opportunity for employees and applicants. We do not discriminate based on characteristics that are not related to merit or the inherent requirements of the job, including (but not only) on the basis of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, age, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, socioeconomic status, pregnancy or maternity, or based on any other aspect of an individual’s personal life.


Setting standards in gender equality

  • Gender equality among our lawyers
  • Zero gender effect on salaries (tested and monitored regularly, including through the Swiss Federal Office for Gender Equality’s official analysis tool)
  • 33% female partners – the highest amongst Swiss firms
  • Nearly 60% female senior management team and a female managing partner since 2015
  • Merit-based progression, with 75% of partners having joined as associates or counsel

Family friendly

  • 16% of permanent employees work part-time (an opportunity open to all across the firm)
  • Enhanced parental leave available to everyone
  • Leading the way in parental benefits in Switzerland

UN Target Gender Equality

LALIVE participated in the UNGC’s gender equality accelerator programme in 2022, which helps us to set and achieve ambitious targets for increasing female leadership and maintaining equal pay. See more at https://unglobalcompact.org/take-action/target-gender-equality


The LALIVE Women’s Network (LWN)

The LWN is a dynamic forum to support women lawyers at LALIVE, which includes developing their careers. The internal network also has real impact on the firm’s wider drive for equality, shaping the development and implementation of improvements in areas such as work-life balance, workload allocation and part-time work.


External involvement

Our female lawyers are active in a number of external organisations such as the Women’s White Collar Defence Association (WWCDA) and Women in Mining Switzerland (WMS).

The firm and many of its lawyers are proud signatories of initiatives like the Pledge for Equal Representation in International Arbitration, which promotes parity of female representation on international arbitration tribunals and conference panels, and the Burford Equity Project, which strives to improve diversity in commercial litigation and arbitration through funding and economic incentives.

 

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