DLA Piper (Canada) LLP has been recognized by the 2018 Women In Law Leadership (WILL) Awards as the law firm in Alberta that best exemplifies leadership in fostering an inclusive environment for female lawyers.

Now in its eighth year, the WILL Awards celebrates female members of the Alberta legal profession who have shown extraordinary leadership in furthering the practice of law and have served as a positive role model in the legal community. Previous individual winners from DLA Piper include Kathleen Ryan, Q.C. and Heather Treacy, Q.C. This is DLA Piper Canada’s first time winning the Law Firm Award, which applauds the law firm that best exemplifies leadership in the inclusion, promotion and support of women in both the legal and business communities.

As part of a leading global business law firm, a key factor driving DLA Piper Canada’s success is the cultivation of a progressive workplace culture where each individual is respected and valued for their contributions to the firm, independent of their gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age or disability. The Firm’s commitment to diversity is reflected in its dedication to addressing many of the underlying causes for gender disparities in the legal profession. DLA Piper Canada actively pursues strategies to retain, develop and advance women lawyers and promote initiatives across all offices to address unconscious biases and gender stereotypes, support informal and formal networks of mentorship and professional development, and find ways to help lawyers balance work and family responsibilities.

Part of this commitment to erasing gender disparities is having women in leadership positions and also ensuring that there are leadership opportunities available for women. There are currently women at every leadership and management level — from office operations to firm governance (Executive Committee) — in the firm’s offices in Alberta and across the country.

“We are thrilled to receive this award which reflects our longstanding history as a leader in the industry and in the community at large in advocating for women,” said Robert Seidel, Q.C., Canada Managing Partner. “To be a recipient of this award serves as an incentive to continue to grow our current initiatives as well as engage our lawyers in dialogue to forge new ways to further diversity in the legal profession.”

The Firm will be honoured at the WILL Awards Dinner on November 22, 2018 at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald in Edmonton.