Group sessions to cover topics including ‘relationship building’ and ‘overcoming Imposter Syndrome’
Hogan Lovells is trialling a new mentoring scheme to boost the retention and promotion of black and ethnic minority lawyers across its ranks.
The international law firm’s latest diversity initiative, dubbed the INCLUDED programme, will see second seat trainees attend two-hour group mentoring sessions hosted by an external company and guest speakers. The sessions will run for six months with trainees attending on a voluntary basis.
Hogan Lovells says the programme will cover topics including “identity and authenticity, inclusive behaviour, overcoming Imposter Syndrome, self-awareness, relationship building and networking, and personal brand.”
The firm hopes the scheme will not only improve retention at the junior end, but ensure more black and ethnic minority talent moves up the ranks and into senior roles in the future.
Commenting on the programme, Hogan Lovells’ training principal and partner, Crispin Rapinet, said:
“We’ve been very open that a core part of our strategy is to increase diversity throughout our firm, and at the highest ranks. Recruiting, retaining and advancing our underrepresented talent is key to ensuring a diverse pipeline. The INCLUDED programme is unique in the market in that it is designed specifically for black and ethnic minority trainees, an early intervention complementing the range of initiatives already in place across our firm to help us achieve our global goals.”
News of the scheme follows the firm’s decision to enable lawyers to set aside up to 50 billable hours for diversity and inclusion (D&I) activities. Last year the firm also set two new targets to increase diversity among its global partnership — 15% ethnic minority and 4% LGBTQ+ partners by 2025. These were 11% and 2.5%, respectively, when reported at the time.