At RKD, our Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) mission is to emerge as a leader through insight, innovation, diversity and inclusion. We put our people first as we work to deliver excellence in service to our clients. We accomplish this by integrating our goals and concepts into the way in which the firm manages its people and business.
Our D&I efforts are initiated and led from the very top of the global firm by our senior management team, holding our leaders accountable. Firm resources − including our Professional Development, Marketing and Recruiting departments − are aligned to actively support the implementation of our Group Diversity and Inclusion Action Plans.
These plans are tailored to each group’s unique D&I priorities, needs and culture, demonstrating how each group would focus on such goals as advancement, retention and equitable utilization of team expertise. Practice group leaders are responsible for managing their action plans and the results stemming from them.
Our firm’s recruitment process is based on merit and merit alone. We do not discriminate on any basis including religion, caste, age, sex, disability, or economic and social background. We have team members from 16 states in India that speak over 10 different languages and come from different religions. We celebrate our differences and practice respect for everyone and that is the basis of our strength.
The firm’s strategy focuses on recruitment, retention, advancement and promotion of the best lawyers. Our three strategic pillars being:
Workforce – The objective is to build an inclusive and sustainable pipeline for succession in leadership and promotion.
Workplace- The objective is to create an inclusive work environment that values differences and promotes respect, support and a sense of belonging to retain talent across all lawyer levels.
Marketplace - The objective is to proactively engage clients in discussions around effective D&I strategies to support all communities and foster effective outreach to diverse suppliers.
These pillars provide a framework for the firm to address all aspects of the following areas:
Recruitment - Increasing the representation of lawyers across all cultures, backgrounds and experiences.
Engagement - Creating an inclusive and supportive environment for all RKD associates and employees
Advancement and Promotion - Ensuring that opportunities for success and leadership are accessible to everyone
Pipeline Programs - Supporting the education and development of future legal professionals from diverse cultures, backgrounds and experiences
Supplier Diversity – At RKD, we consistently track the firm's engagement with certified women-owned and minority-owned businesses. The goal is to diversify our supplier network with these businesses over time.
As we work toward identifying specific benchmarks, we strongly encourage our attorneys to consider and recommend women-owned and minority owned-businesses as opportunities arise. This initiative is important to us and reinforces our commitment to our clients, our communities and our people.