The report reveals an expansion of talent acquisition and leadership development strategies designed to support all employees across the company
WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 26, 2024 – Consilio, the global leader in legal technology solutions and enterprise legal services, today released its fifth annual Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Report, covering 2023. The report outlines progress made on key initiatives, including increasing female representation overall and among leadership, with 32% of all senior leaders at the firm identifying as female. While many organizations are pulling back on their DEI programs, in the report Consilio reaffirms its commitment to these initiatives and outlines those planned for the coming year.
Consilio’s progress is underscored by its recent employee experience accolades, as the company won a Comparably award for Best Company Culture and was certified as a Great Place to Work in India, showcasing the alignment between the company’s talent and its ethos.
“We’ve made significant strides in our commitment to fostering an inclusive culture at Consilio in the last few years,” said Andy Macdonald, Chief Executive Officer of Consilio. “This year we focused on initiatives aimed at addressing equity in the workplace, such as our new talent acquisition methods and leadership development opportunities. These efforts continue to align with our clients’ values and help ensure our employees are growing and progressing in their careers while being empowered to provide the strongest client service possible.”
DEI Highlights from 2023
The report explains key initiatives undertaken in 2023, including:
Improving Gender Representation – For the second year in a row, female representation at Consilio increased by 2%, up to 41% globally, with women comprising 49% of new hires. The number of women at the manager level also increased 2%, bringing the total percentage of women in this leadership pipeline to 41%.
Expanding DEI Leadership Team – Consilio established its first Senior Leadership position completely dedicated to DEI by appointing James Edwell as Vice President, DEI Partnerships and Communities. This role was created to engage key internal and external stakeholders in implementing strategies aligned with Consilio’s DEI and business goals.
Adding Talent Acquisition Strategies – The company launched a new talent acquisition program, the Consilio Sales Associate Program (CSAP), designed to create a diverse pipeline of skilled business developers from a variety of backgrounds. The firm has also continued to strengthen its Project Management Apprentice Program and Summer Internship Programs to foster the professional development of emerging talent.
Increasing Leadership Development Opportunities – Consilio is continuing to prioritize leadership development with the launch of its Boost manager development programs and Consilio Leader Labs to educate leaders on DEI topics. In 2022, the company created the Consilio Leadership Academy (CLA), a 12-month program meant to prepare high-potential leaders for future executive positions at Consilio. In 2023, 54% of CLA participants were diverse (42% were women, and 17% identified as racially/ethnically diverse).
Creating Intentional Mentorship Programs – In 2023, Consilio began providing structured mentorship opportunities to employees through its WE-Together women’s affinity group and Proud@Consilio LGBTQIA+ affinity group. These mentorship programs are open to all members of each affinity group. Consilio also started the first cohort of its EMEAA mentorship initiative in the fall to widen its global mentorship reach.
Supporting Inclusive Affinity Groups for Employees – Consilio provided more structure and support for its Employee Affinity Groups (EAGs), holding monthly meetings with each leader and adding hundreds of new members overall. Consilio’s EAGs are open to all employees—team members do not need to fit a specific demographic to join these groups. For instance, male allies are welcome to join the company’s Women’s Affinity Group.
Integrating Thoughtfully Across the Globe – Following Consilio’s acquisition of Lawyers On Demand, a pioneer in flexible legal talent, and SYKE, a legal technology consultancy, integration of DEI initiatives was approached with careful attention to combining each company’s existing DEI programming and EAG memberships. As a company with a long history of growth by acquisition, ensuring all new employees feel included in the global community is critical for Consilio’s business operations and culture.
Looking to the Year Ahead
Continued Improvement in Diversity Metrics – Consilio will strive to improve its representation of employees identifying as people of color working in leadership roles, continuing to foster the development of rising stars to ensure they are on track for promotions and career progression.
Launching New Opportunities for Employee Engagement – Consilio will launch two new EAGs in 2024: WE-Together India, a group aimed at providing support and resources to women in Consilio’s growing India footprint, and Cover to Cover, a global book club meant to encourage thoughtful discussion across geographical boundaries and departmental silos.
Fostering Constructive Dialogue – One of Consilio’s DEI goals in 2024 is to create more opportunities for constructive dialogue with clients and peers around how to maintain DEI efforts.
“DEI matters to our employees, our leaders, and our clients,” said Maureen O’Neill, Senior Vice President, Strategic Client Experience and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer. “As such, we will continue working to expand the reach of our affinity groups, create new opportunities for emerging talent to connect and grow in their careers, as well as continue to drive progress on diversity, particularly around race and ethnicity.”
To learn more about Consilio’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, the report is available for download here.
About Consilio
Consilio stands as the global leader in eDiscovery, document review, flexible legal talent, and legal advisory & transformation consulting services. With its Consilio Complete suite of capabilities, the company empowers multinational law firms and corporations using innovative software, cost-effective managed services, and deep legal and regulatory industry expertise. Renowned for its expertise in litigation, HSR second requests, internal and regulatory investigations, eDiscovery, document review, information governance, compliance risk assessments, cybersecurity, law department management, and contracts management, Consilio also excels in legal staffing and recruitment through its Lawyers On Demand division. Consilio globally employs leading professionals in the industry, applying defensible workflows with patented and industry-proven technology across all phases of the eDiscovery and risk management lifecycle. ISO\IEC 27001:2013 certified, the company operates offices, document review, and data centers across Europe, Asia, and North America. Discover more about Consilio’s commitment to legal excellence and innovation at www.consilio.com.
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