Diversity & Inclusion Committee
Diversity & Inclusion
To ensure that hiring of new members is done fairly and equitably, at Licks Attorneys we use a platform for blind hiring, stripping away any identifiable characteristics unrelated to the job or the experience required for the position, including race, identity, gender, age, religious or sexual orientation. This ensures that candidate analysis is based solely on their skills and knowledge, removing subjective factors that could influence decision making.
Gender Equality
Gender equality is part of Licks Attorneys’ DNA: thanks to equal opportunities for internal growth, more than half of our management positions are held by women. Since 2020, Licks Attorneys has promoted and welcomed nine new partners, of which four are women.
Since 2020, Licks Attorneys has established a new policy on maternity leave, expanding it to six months (two beyond what is mandatory under Brazilian law), and paternity leave, to 20 days (as opposed to the 5 required by law in Brazil). These initiatives are part of an ambitious agenda to transform our professional culture.
Some of our unique actions also include the celebration of International Women’s Day, with activities aimed at raising awareness among our female professionals on the importance of maintaining good mental health and nutrition practices.
A Diversity & Inclusion Committee was created, whose structure and operations were designed based on the analysis made by a specialized external consultancy, which also helped in the development of adequate diversity and inclusion policies for Licks Attorneys. This analysis step provided an in-depth look at where Licks Attorneys was and where to go.In another action, lectures were given to all our members on issues such as the importance of inclusive communication and the recognition of prejudices from unconscious biases.
In 7/2021, our partner Appellate Judge (ret.) Liliane Roriz was recognized by the award WIPR Diversity: Influential Women in IP, for pioneering women who paved the way for new generations in the exchange between the legal world and IP.
Licks Attorneys was included in the yearbook “Análise Diversidade & Inclusão” by Análise Advocacia for the second consecutive year. In the 2022 edition we were chosen as a firm that invests in Diversity and Inclusion policies. We continuously work to build a more plural, multicultural, and humane environment for every member.
Ethnic-Racial Equality
The recognition of ethnic-racial rights in Brazilian and international legislation, although relevant for the definition of public policies, is still not enough to ensure them in practice. More than half of the Brazilian population declares itself as black; a population that constitutes a majority, but absent from the positions of power and the legal market. The disparity between white and black people in the work environment has a long way to go as of improvements. In 2018, the census carried out by the Center for Studies on Labor Relations and Inequalities (CEERT) in partnership with the Legal Alliance for Racial Equity accurately presents this panorama, indicating that, at the time, only 1% of members of the nine offices that participated in the survey were black.
We at Licks Attorneys believe we have an important role in changing this complex landscape. We want to attract, develop and retain black professionals, offering them the same career opportunities.
Pro Bono
Licks Attorneys’ goal is to help build a more robust, multicultural, and humane environment, not just internally, but also outside its doors. In this sense, several actions are carried out in favor of a more diverse and inclusive society. Licks Attorneys works pro bono for ONG LGBT+ do Brasil, a non-profit association based in São Paulo, whose objective is to create a space of identification and empowerment for people from the country’s LGBTQIA+ community.
Social responsability
Also in line with our belief in Social Responsibility, Licks Attorneys entered into a partnership in 2018 with the non-profit Gamboa Ação, which provides care for children at risk in the port region of Rio de Janeiro, through donations and participation in voluntary actions on dates such as World Day of Health, Children’s Day and Christmas.
Even during the pandemic, Licks Attorneys continued to work with the non-profit Gamboa Ação through financial contribution to support the program and the children served by the institution.
Also in the field of social responsibility, we expanded the partnership with Editora InVerso, promoting the distribution of books for children in several regions in Brazil.