The award is presented annually by Mediacorp Canada Inc., Canada’s largest publisher of employment periodicals. It recognizes diversity initiatives in five employee groups: women, members of visible minorities, persons with disabilities, aboriginal peoples and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered/transsexual peoples.
Firm Chairman Brock Gibson said in a press release the firm is committed to providing legal services “rich in perspectives, backgrounds and cultures.
“Diversity strengthens the firm and makes it more effective in competing in an international marketplace and representing our multinational client base,” Gibson said.
Blakes engages in an array of programs to promote diversity. They include Rotman/University of Toronto Program for Women in Law, The Judy Project, the New Pioneers Award, Law in Action within Schools (LAWS)/Blakes Mentoring Program and several community outreach programs.
Additionally, the firm publishes the Blakes Bulletin on Equity and Diversity and holds seminars on subjects related to equity and diversity.
Other firm initiatives include its Urban Financial Services Coalition, which acts as pro bono counsel to the Toronto chapter of the Urban Financial Services Coalition; at the University of Calgary, Blakes helped launch an annual seminar for female law students on practice issues and opportunities; the firm is also a founding member of The Law Society of Alberta’s Working Group for the Retention of Women in the Practice of Law; The Justicia Project, which is aimed at increasing the retention of women in private practice; and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary, where the firm provides pro bono services regarding a variety of corporate matters.
Blake, Cassels & Graydon has more than 550 lawyers with offices across Canada and in New York, Chicago, London, Bahrain, Beijing, and associated offices in Al-Khobar and Shanghai.