William Fry is delighted to be reaccredited with the Investors in Diversity Silver award recognised by the Irish Centre for Diversity (ICFD).

The Investors in Diversity award is Ireland's first all-encompassing diversity & inclusion (D&I) accreditation mark for businesses. Developed by Irish Centre for Diversity and supported by Ibec and DCU Centre of Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion, it offers a clear and structured framework to transform diversity practices and culture.

William Fry was first awarded Investors in Diversity Silver accreditation in early 2021, demonstrating its commitment to hearing the voices employees and understanding their experiences within the organisation.

Commenting on the award Managing Partner Owen O'Sullivan said

The William Fry commitment to diversity and inclusion focuses on 5 key areas: gender and parents; LGBTI+; access to the workplace, disability awareness and culture.

The firm appointed diversity and inclusion Partners to work closely with the diversiFry committee, a representative group of volunteers, who provide guidance and on issues of importance, as well as initiatives, events and supports to help drive a culture of diversity and inclusion for all.

Below are some of the ways the firm are supporting diversity and inclusion in the firm and community.

• D&I Training – This year the firm launched disability awareness training and a bystander Intervention training programme 'Speak -Up'.
• Recruiting Diversity – Recruitment is a key area where the firm can proactively increase the diversity, to that end they; use D&I language in our job specs; report on quarterly job exits committing to action against potential bias; use gender decoders in our job advertisements and mandatory manager training to eradicate unconscious bias in interviewing processes; ensure gender balanced interviews and actively track our gender diversity.
• Access to the Workplace – Access to the workplace is critical for diversity in the workplace. William Fry are proud members of the Open Doors Initiative, DCU Access Programme, Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities (TCPID) and runs the Fry TY programme, aimed at promoting careers in law to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Community Partnerships – Since 2021 William Fry has been working with Depaul and the Irish Youth Foundation (IYF). The firms work with Depaul has focused on providing meaningful support for the Cosán Nua service, and Irish Youth Foundation (IYF) focused on their Generation Pandemic programme by supporting pathways to further learning and employment.
• Pro Bono – William Fry joined Pro Bono Pledge Ireland as a founding signatory and focuses on supporting social enterprises, NGO'S and charities to make a real and lasting difference in the community.
• Supporting Supplier Diversity – The firm seeks to afford opportunities for new suppliers to participate in the supply chain with a focus on social enterprise, suppliers from under-represented or protected groups and those suppliers demonstrating a diverse workforce composition.

For more information on the Irish Centre for Diversity and the Investors in Diversity standards, please visit www.irishcentrefordiversity.ie.