AA Thornton

AA Thornton has a long established commitment to Diversity and Inclusion as one of the first signatories of the profession wide IP Inclusive Charter in 2016.  Our internal mission statement is:

‘To provide a friendly, supportive and inclusive working environment that enables all staff to work to the best of their abilities’

The statement sets out the principles by which decisions about our people policies are made and underpins the expectation we have of each other in our daily interactions.

Marianne Privett, our internal Diversity & Inclusion Committee Lead, was recently named as one of WIPR’s global Diversity Champions.  This recognition is a reflection of the commitment  Marianne, and the partnership as whole, place on creating a diverse and inclusive working environment.

Our internal Diversity & Inclusion Committee members meet regularly to drive forward the D&I agenda and many of our colleagues play an active role in IP Inclusive projects, such as ‘Careers in Ideas’ in which we champion the improvement of access to the intellectual property professions regardless of disability, age, gender, sexual orientation or social, economic and cultural background.  Marianne Privett and Karen Genuardi, Head of People, are members of the IP Ability Committee.  Along with members of our own internal Diversity & Inclusion Committee, we actively encourage all of our staff to attend IP Inclusive or InterLaw events and to become an ally for all groups.

‘Bring Your Whole Self to Work’ has been an important aspect of our commitment to diversity and inclusion for several years.  The firms’ leadership and management have taken deliberate actions to continue this theme during the pandemic to ensure people feel supported and included.  The firm initiated a number of short surveys to understand people’s different needs, from which a number of temporary flexible policies and initiatives were put in place to facilitate individual support such as flexibility around family and caring responsibilities/logistics, providing regular guidance to managers in supporting their teams remotely, and signposting access to support when needed.  A calendar of wellness and social activities were put in place to help everyone to stay connected and to support those struggling with the need to work remotely.  Maintaining an environment where people feel able to bring their whole self to work and to be open and authentic, remains a key priority for the firm.

We are delighted to have supported the Sutton Trust summer school for the last two years as well as hosting work shadowing activities.  It was great to see so many of our partners and fee earners getting involved in speed mentoring and networking sessions, providing insights into the careers of Trade Mark Attorneys, Patent Attorneys and IP Solicitors/Litigators. We also contributed to the Sutton Trust Careers Week in April 2021 and held a panel session on ‘Legal roles you never thought of’. Litigation Partner Geoff Hussey hosted the panel with Senior Associate Sarah Neil, representing the TM Attorney profession. We were delighted that clients Dan Caunt (Admiral) and Bill Budd (Virgin) agreed to sit alongside us on the panel.  Additionally, we recently provided work experience for university students in the form of remote Insight days, which ensured the experience was accessible and flexible.