DLA Piper Wins at Euromoney Europe Women in Business Law Awards
21 Jun 2012
DLA Piper scooped the awards for Best International Firm Mentoring Programme and Best in Ukraine categories at the Euromoney Europe Women in Business Law Awards held at The Savoy in London last night. The firm was recognised for its Women's Network Mentoring Programme (the "Mentoring Programme") and the high number of women lawyers in its Ukraine office.
The Mentoring Programme was conceived as a pilot which lasted for four months in early 2011, involving 78 people across all of the firm's UK offices. The pilot was an overwhelming success and, in September 2011, the firm launched its first UK wide mentoring programme which was open to all Women's Network ("WN") members and designed to assist with personal career development, retention and to better leverage diversity for the firm and its clients. The first programme has 286 participants, comprising 45% of the WN.
The programme is a key element of the firm's Women's Network, which was launched in July 2010 with a core objective to create an energising, empowering and effective environment for women at DLA Piper. The WN aims to provide women with a platform where they can network, find help and support to achieve their personal objectives, help to develop the careers of their contemporaries or more junior employees and socialise and attend targeted events.
DLA Piper's Ukraine office, whose partnership is 75% made up of women, was awarded the Best in Ukraine category because of the wide range of social and professional benefits offered by the office to all female employees.
Karen Friebe, Chair of the Women's Network, commented: "the DLA Piper Women's Network Mentoring Programme has proved to be hugely successful within the firm, and winning the Euromoney award for Best International Firm Mentoring Programme is a testament to the hard work over the last 18 months of all of those involved with the initiative at the firm."
"It is also a great honour to win the Best In Ukraine award. This accolade is a well-deserved acknowledgment of the firm's commitment to provide women in law with the necessary support to fulfil their potential".