Advokatfirmaet Thommessen AS

Diversity Statement
Diversity and inclusion is a strategic priority for Thommessen. We are a company based on knowledge and expertise, where the most valuable asset is our employees. We acknowledge that there is room for improvement within diversity, and have therefore during the last seven years introduced a number of initiatives to increase diversity, some of which are described here.

We strive to be an attractive workplace and employer for everyone, regardless of gender, age, background, ethnicity, religion, physical capacity and sexuality. In our view, it is all about fostering an engaging teamwork culture where everyone feels included and valued.

At Thommessen, we have also recognized the importance of unconscious discrimination (bias). We have, among other things, structured the recruitment process and developed a recruitment tool together with an assessment and talent measurement company where we evaluate candidates against predefined characteristics identified through various personality and ability tests. Through this process, we reduce unconscious discrimination in the recruitment and selection process.

We have established a designated Women’s Committee, which supports the management in its efforts to improve our gender balance and increase retention of female lawyers. The Committee is also charged with facilitating female staff bonding by holding monthly lunches and other professional and social events.

In the current strategy period, we have chosen to continue to prioritize gender balance and multicultural diversity. Our strategy includes specific targets for increasing the proportion of women among our senior attorneys and partners in addition to employees with a minority background. In order to reach these targets, we have introduced a number of measures in relation to recruitment, management training, flexibility for staff with small children, etc.

At Thommessen, we believe that diversity and inclusion is best achieved through the day to day work, i.e. through the execution of the projects with our clients. We see that employees who experience that they gain knowledge, master their tasks and contribute in a meaningful way, tend to engage more, stay on longer and perform better, which again benefits the project. This is why we generally have a strong focus on building an open and including team culture.

Sponsorships and collaborations
At Thommessen, we seek, together with our clients, to shape the business sector of the future and to safeguard corporate values and the rule of law. Our social involvement is not only reflected in the work we do, but also through the NGOs we support. We support several ambitious CSR and pro bono initiatives. Knowledge is our key resource, and represents our main contribution to enabling NGOs to pursue their mission under optimum conditions.

I relations to our work with social diversity, we support several NGO's and initiatives including:

• The Norwegian Women's Football Association
  From January 2020 Thommessen is official partner of the Norwegian Women's Football Association. We want to take part in developing Norwegian women's football, especially linked to increased professionalization and competence enhancement. At Thommessen we are committed to highlighting female talents - both in the legal profession and in football. The agreement allows the Norwegian Women's Football Association to access a learning tool for football players based on VR technology, provided by Be Your Best.
• #ShesGotThis / Equality Check
  #ShesGotThis is an organisation addressing gender stereotypes and unconscious bias. Thommessen is one of its founding partners, and we have assisted #ShesGotThis in a range of legal issues in its start-up phase. The organisation also serves as a key advisor in our efforts to increase our proportion of female managing associates and partners. The founders have also launched Equality Check, a community-based platform where employees can leave anonymous reviews about equal opportunity, company culture, work/life balance and the management's commitment to diversity. Thommessen encourages all employees to leave their assessment of Thommessen.
• Big Enough Global
  We are main partner with Big Enough Global (BEG). A youth organization that will work to create solutions within the UN's sustainability goals, and which, among other things, works to promote the importance of multicultural diversity in the workplace, which is a strategic focus area for Thommessen.