The law firm Cirio has launched an initiative (E.V.A.) that takes a refreshing approach to diversity and equality in the legal industry. What stands out is that it isn’t about sweeping policies, quotas, or grand gestures designed to make the firm look good. Instead, it’s a thoughtful attempt to make small but meaningful changes that help uncover and recognize talent across a broader spectrum of people.
Human competence is becoming an increasingly critical asset, and it makes little sense to restrict the search for it to one’s immediate circle. This isn’t only about gender equality between men and women, but also about diversity in a wider sense. Cirio’s approach is unique in that it takes responsibility for culture both inside and outside the organization. The idea is to raise awareness—together with clients and partners—of how we can collectively become better at recognizing competence and promoting equality.
That can mean questioning how long-standing personal relationships influence the choice of advisors, and shifting this by bringing more people into client relationships or highlighting the individuals actually doing the work. It also comes down to subtle cultural patterns: what topics dominate informal conversations (for instance, if they always revolve around “Iron Man” or similar, the group who feels included may be rather narrow), how information is shared, or even how meetings are structured.
In essence, the initiative is about noticing the small, often invisible habits that can exclude—and then making small, conscious adjustments that open the door wider. The real change for greater equality lies in putting on new lenses, seeing what has been overlooked, and taking simple steps to ensure that the talent we need is not missed.
Kudos to Emma Dansbo and David Frydlinger at Cirio for pushing this forward, and to Jenny Lantz and Jens Näsström for their work on the project.