News

We are pleased to announce that Duncan Lewis is a finalist for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion in anticipation of the Law Society Excellence Awards 2018.

As a firm, we are proud of our dedication to equal opportunities. We are dedicated to recruiting and retaining the most talented employees, regardless of gender, ethnicity or background.

We are mindful of attracting and recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds by following our Equality and Diversity Policy. According to the results of our Equality and Diversity survey in 2017, of those who submitted, 63% of our workforce is female, approximately 38% are from an Asian/Asian British background, and 20% are from other ethnic minority groups.

As a signatory to the Law Society’s Diversity & Inclusion Charter since 2016, we have long been committed to equality, diversity and inclusion across our practice. It is our range of policies that enable us to support equality and diversity in our workforce. In particular, our cross-cultural awareness training produces a fully functional workforce that reflects and can best serve its communities at all levels.

Our 700 employees, including 60 partner-level Directors speak more than 60 languages, and work across London and most major cities in England and Wales. We believe this enables us to provide the best possible service for our clients, providing access to justice for all.

By having a diverse workforce across the UK, we are able to tailor our approach and take into consideration different customs and traditions of clients. Our pro bono projects are designed to target the most vulnerable in society, many of whom do not speak English as a first language. Childcare Director, Emine Mehmet, targets communities where language barriers make access to mainstream legal services problematic. She utilises her fluency in Turkish to access a wider range of clients.

Not to mention, Naim Hasani, who is shortlisted for Human Rights Solicitor of the Year at the Awards, utilised his fluency in Albanian to successfully represented two Albanians involved in a Supreme Court case which resulted in the overhaul of 35 years’ worth of established Court of Appeal authority in nationality deprivation.

It is our commitment to recruiting, training and nurturing talent and promoting diversity and equal opportunities which has seen us shortlisted in the Law Society Excellence Award’s category for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion.

Our nominated Equality & Diversity Champion, David Head, has this to say:

“As Diversity Champion for Duncan Lewis, I am delighted that we have been shortlisted for this award. It is through our many procedures and policies that we are constantly striving to be at the forefront of this corporate responsibility, to promote diversity and inclusivity in our workforce. We are always looking for innovative ways to ensure that we encourage equality in all that we do, recruiting the best the legal profession can offer from every background, to make sure our service meets our clients’ needs.”

Equally, we are committed to our existing staff members and to nurturing and promoting their development. Our nomination for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion is shared by Naim Hasani and Ahmed Aydeed, who are both shortlisted for the Human Rights Solicitor of the Year Award, and Aina Khan OBE, who has been shortlisted for Gazette Legal Personality of the Year.

We offer our congratulations to the individuals and firms who have been shortlisted for the 12th annual awards, which is due to take place on 17th October 2018 at Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane, London. The Law Society Excellence Awards strive to champion the stand-out firms and legal practitioners whose dedication to their practice emanates in everything they do.

We give thanks to all those who make our commitment to equality and diversity one we can continue to practice and endeavour to maintain and improve on our standards in relation to the ever changing Equality and Diversity procedures.

Duncan Lewis Solicitors

Duncan Lewis Solicitors, established in 1998, is a national law firm serving both corporate entities and private individuals from 52 offices across London and throughout the UK. In 2009 Duncan Lewis was the first law firm in the UK to achieve the Investors in People Gold Quality Standard Mark and is recognised by Legal 500 as a Top Tier firm for its immigration and human rights work.

Established areas of law are: action against public authorities, business immigration, child care, civil liberties, clinical negligence, community care, crime and fraud, dispute resolution, debt and insolvency, employment, family and divorce, housing, Islamic law, asylum and immigration, litigation, mental health, mental capacity, personal injury, prison law, professional negligence, public law and administrative law, regulatory matters, wills and probate and welfare benefits.