Many, if not most, law firms want to bring in people from diverse backgrounds and have an inclusive workplace.
Here are some questions to consider when seeking to recruit, retain and include Indigenous peoples in your firm (as lawyers and other support staff):
Leadership and Corporate Strategy
- Does your firm have a formal commitment to Indigenous inclusion?
- Does your firm’s corporate strategy include Indigenous inclusivity?
- Are Indigenous perspectives and considerations factored into decision-making and governing spaces?
- Are Indigenous relations and anti-Indigenous training included in orientation plans?
- Is Indigenous aware building and anti-Indigenous training provided on an ongoing and / or annual basis?
- Does your firm currently have Indigenous staff members? (note: not all Indigenous peoples want to identify.)
- Does your senior leadership team “walk the talk” as in, do they champion diversity and model inclusion, including Indigenous inclusion?
- Is your senior leadership team aware of foundational Indigenous-Canada relationships and constitutional documents, federal statues, treaty processes, international documents? (A few examples: Royal Proclamation of 1763, Constitution/Section 35, the Indian Act, UNDIP.)
- Are human and financial resources devoted to Indigenous-focused initiatives?
- Are frameworks, measures, and monitoring mechanisms in place to ensure Inclusion strategies, practices, and messaging are in place?
- Is the responsibility and accountability of Indigenous inclusion built into the job
Diversity and Inclusion in the Workspace
- Is cultural expression welcome? Is that conveyed? Is that appreciated? Is that valued? How is valued shown?
- Does your firm have a diversity and inclusion program or strategy? If yes, does it have Indigenous-specific elements and processes?
- If your firm has a diversity and inclusion strategy, is it integrated into your firm’s broader strategic plan and priorities?
- Does your firm have a diversity and inclusion department/section/team/lead? If yes, are there Indigenous people on this team?
- Does your firm report on Indigenous inclusion? Do you measure your engagement and competencies related to diversity and inclusion?
Recruitment
- Do you have Indigenous people as part of your recruitment team (when seeking Indigenous and non-Indigenous candidates/potential employees)? Or can you engage a firm that specializes in recruiting Indigenous candidates?
- Are your hiring practices and processes inclusive of Indigenous people/have you reduced barriers for Indigenous people?
- Are your interview guides in plain language and appropriate for Indigenous candidates? Is there any biased language?
- Do you have a recruitment strategy specific to Indigenous peoples? Are you aware of special considerations in advertising to Indigenous peoples?
- Is your HR department aware of Indigenous inclusive language practices?
- Are roles that require Indigenous employees to complete Indigenous engagement or Indigenous research proportionately and adequately compensated (emotional labour, utilizing specialized perspectives / lived experiences)?
- Are Indigenous employees being hired in at all levels rather than entry-level only?
Retention and Inclusion
- Does your firm have supports in place for Indigenous employees?
- Do you have an Indigenous employee group?
- Do you have Indigenous people in your HR department/group?
- Has your firm reviewed its HR policies and procedures to ensure it supports Indigenous inclusion?
- Do your Indigenous employees have equal access to mentorship and learning opportunities?
- Do your Indigenous employees have equal access to promotions and leadership opportunities?
- Is your workplace a welcoming environment for Indigenous employees?
- Does your employee benefits package include holistic support options?
- Is your space equipped to allow smudging, ceremony and quiet reflection?
- Does onboarding of Indigenous employees include culturally safe practices (mentor, Indigenous employee group, elder support)?
- Are there practices in place to safely ask for Indigenous employee feedback to measure and ensure initiatives in place are working as intended?