TLT and DWF named as one of The Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality 2023

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Top tier law firms TLT LLP and DWF Group Plc have been recognised by gender equality experts for the work they’ve been doing to remove gender inequalities in the workplace. 

For the past 13 years Business in the Community (BIC), the network responsible for The Times Top 50, has recognised and celebrated the UK’s most highly profiled and well-established employers that prioritise gender equality at all levels.  

This year, applicants were assessed on the work they do to remove gender inequality, such as: 

• flexible working; 
• family friendly policies; and 
• pay, rewards and progression at work. 

Both firms were praised for their enhanced menopause policies, as well as efforts to make the firms more family friendly, which included the implementation of policies relating to paternity and non-birthing parental leave.  

Seema Bains, head of DWF’s diversity and inclusion leadership group, said: “We are proud of the steps we have taken in this area and look forward to what we can still achieve for the benefit of our colleagues." 

TLT attributed its achievements to the fact that gender equality had been made a key pillar of its 2025 strategy, which was first introduced in 2019 in collaboration with the firm’s Women’s Equality Network.  

The firm proudly announced that alongside its menopause and parental leave initiatives, it’s also introduced: 

• a fully flexible work approach (TLT World); 
• a dedicated pregnancy loss policy; 
• two new apprenticeship pathways to improve gender-distribution across pay quartiles; and 

• a reduction in its median gender pay gap. 

The firm was also proud to declare it had reached its target of achieving 33% female representation at partner level two years early. 

Speaking on the firm’s success, Helen Hodgkinson chief people officer at TLT, said: “TLT has come a long way in recent years in redressing gender imbalances and I’m proud to have these efforts recognised on a national platform.” 

Mary Macleod, chief executive at BIC, praised DWF and TLT for “leading the way in building a culture where women can reach their full potential”. Macleod stated: “We know that when women succeed, the UK succeeds, enabling our communities and planet to thrive.” 

Looking to the future, Charlotte Woodworth, gender equality director at BIC, reminded us that “there’s far more work to be done”, highlighting that the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis has only made “inequalities even more noticeable”.