Clifford Chance

Integral to our values, at Clifford Chance we believe being inclusive is the right thing to do and is what our clients demand. Our commitment to the issue is recognised by some significant clients and during FY24 we worked alongside Amazon, HSBC, and many other banks and corporates, as well as financial investor clients, on initiatives that further our shared inclusion agendas.

The work alongside HSBC exemplifies this commitment. One of our aligned objectives focuses on ensuring representative diversity of our work populations in the regions in which we operate, to reflect the broader society in those regions. We also share alignment on our goals to embed inclusivity and engagement with inclusion initiatives internally and externally. With an external impact in mind, we collaborated to focus our efforts on inclusion related to educational awareness and grassroots initiatives, and on diverse talent, attraction and retention.

Broadening access and tackling racial injustice

A group of 12 Clifford Chance and HSBC volunteers worked with London-based community organisation BADU – which provides educational, sports, mentoring and coaching services to children and families in the local community. Our volunteers shared their professional experiences with groups of around 40 students aged 14-18, at events hosted at our London office, all with the aim of opening and broadening access. This work has given local students a valuable insight into what it is like to work in law.

Clifford Chance is also working with HSBC and BADU on a project to provide a legal advice clinic for the local community.

The clinic has been helping parents of black children, recognising that racial discrimination plays a part in temporary or permanent exclusion from school.

Shared masterclass

Looking at embedding inclusion internally, our Global Director of Inclusion ran a masterclass in Asia-Pacific with HSBC’s General Counsel in the region, to help the bank embed inclusion into its everyday work culture. The focus was on building awareness of what drives inclusivity in organisations and how important it is to be effective architects of an inclusive culture. Feedback from the session was extremely positive and attendees appreciated the practical insights they gained that they could implement in their day-to-day working lives. We are continuing to work with HSBC to roll out the masterclass more broadly around the bank.

Overall, our collaboration with HSBC is a great example of how we can be a catalyst for change when we work together. Our client says this co-operative effort has been imperative to changing the mindset internally and getting inclusion more firmly on the agenda.