CANADIAN WOMEN AND MINORITY LAW FIRMSPROMOTING DIVERSE LEGAL OPTIONS |
SPONSORED BY
|
| CWMLF members Janet Bomza of Bomza Law Group and Joy Casey, Barrister and Solicitor were among the presenters at A Call to Action Canada's Third Annual Conference on May 17, 2011 |
TESTIMONIALSAccenture is looking forward to the launch of the Canadian Women and Minority-Owned Law Firm site. We will be using it to find qualified firms in the areas in which we need outside counsel support. As a large firm, we sometimes receive enquiries from clients looking for legal help whose needs are better served by a smaller firm with qualified lawyers and paralegals. Of course, we only want to refer these clients to firms that we know or that others have spoken of highly. We are also interested in fostering the success of minority and women-owned firms as part of our commitment to diversity. It would be great to have a website that could be used by firms like ours to find minority and women owned firms that have the necessary expertise and experience to assist us in making these referrals. At Fraser Milner Casgrain (FMC), diversity and inclusiveness are a central part of our business. We understand that diversity enriches our professional practice and our communities. We are delighted to support the launch of the Canadian Women and Minority-Owned Law Firm website which will help us identify and support reputable women and minority-owned law firms in our continuing effort to provide excellent service to our clients and in promoting greater diversity and inclusion in our profession. RBC Financial Group is a proud supporter of supplier diversity. In addition to being one of the four founders of the Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council, we were one of the first companies to sign A Call to Action Canada's Mission Statement, promoting diversity in the legal profession. As RBC renews its Designated Counsel list, we will be looking for opportunities to add law firms which are owned by women and minorities and will include the CWMLF.ca website as a resource to help us locate qualifying firms. |
The Canadian Women and Minority Law Firms site is a resource to connect women- and minority-owned law firms with companies, organizations and law firms interested in advancing diversity in the legal profession by supporting, and directing work to, such firms. Law firms which have a majority of partners who are women or members of minority groups, including aboriginals, visible/racial minorities, LGBT, disabled or others are eligible for inclusion. At least one principal of the firm must have been in practice for a minimum of five years. To be included on the website, women and minority owned firms must complete the registration form, certify the information to be correct and submit it to A Call to Action Canada. (Click here to download the form). Corporations, government departments and agencies, and law firms and are invited to become sponsors of the website. Sponsors are asked to direct part of their legal work, or referral work in the case of law firms, to women- and minority-owned law firms. Following the lead of the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) in the United States, we suggest that a target of 5 per cent of a company's outside legal spend or of a firm's referral work is a workable goal. Individual lawyers and others are also encouraged to show their support for this initiative. Supporters will be listed on the Supporters page, with the ability to highlight their contact information and a link to their website page |