Our Initiatives and Partnerships

Bereskin & Parr’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee is committed to creating a culture of inclusion. It is comprised of senior and junior lawyers, human resources, executive managers and includes women as well as members of the BIPOC and LGBTQ2S+ communities. The D&I Committee actively promotes an environment where diversity is appreciated, inclusion embraced, and belonging is fostered. D&I initiatives and programs are open to all members of the firm and include:

BlackNorth Initiative. In February 2021, Bereskin & Parr became a signatory of the BlackNorth Initiative CEO Pledge. By doing so, we are showing our support and will to move the needle forward for Black and Indigenous Canadians, as well as other underrepresented groups, deliberately moving towards an equitable future, free from systemic racial barriers. We look forward to working with BlackNorth to access best practice resources to make our work environment an even more inclusive space, and to help reach the objective of ending anti-Black racism in Canada.

Black and Indigenous Student Initiative. We are in the process of launching a bursary program for Black and Indigenous law students in Ontario and Quebec for the 2021-22 academic year.

Celebrating Diversity in Intellectual Property Law. We work with a number of professional organizations to promote diversity and inclusion in intellectual property law. Examples include our annual sponsorship of the International Trademark Association “Glinta” party in support of the INTA LGBTQ2S+ community, as well as our annual hosting of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) Women in IP Networking Global Event at our Toronto Offices. Our members also participate in the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada’s Women in IP (WING).

Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network (LFDIN). Bereskin & Parr has been an active member of LFDIN since 2015, including sponsoring its annual programming. LFDIN is a group of Canadian law firms who have agreed to work together to promote diversity and encourage a culture of inclusion in our firms and the broader legal profession. LFDIN members believe that valuing and enhancing diversity and inclusion will help us attract and retain the best talent, and better serve our clients' needs in an evolving global marketplace.

Mental Health and Awareness Week. Every February, we host a week-long event for all members of the Bereskin & Parr team. For example, our 2020 mental health and awareness week was a collaboration with the Canadian Mental Health Association to incorporate its Not Myself Today (NMT) campaign, a workplace mental health initiative aimed to engage people to change the way we think about, act towards and support mental health. Past events include a visit from a therapy dog, a meditation room, yoga, and professional development activities. In 2021, our mental health and awareness week went virtual with on-line mindful mediation and yoga sessions.

Unconscious Bias Training. Our partners, associates and management routinely participate in unconscious bias training from leading facilitators in the field, raising awareness of how pervasive forms of bias potentially affect decision-making and interpersonal interactions.

30% Club Canada. As a continuing member of the 30% Club Canada, our firm supports the proven fact that it is good business practice to have women holding at least 30% of board seats in Canada as well as having stronger representation in the C-suite. As a member of Canada’s business community, we share the aspiration to collectively reach this goal, and we have demonstrated leadership by reaching this goal ourselves.