The two Irish firms join US firms Covington & Burling and Crowell & Moring as the winners of Accenture’s inaugural 2021 Outside Counsel Diversity Awards.

The legal team at the global professional services company selected the winners from more than 65 firms, considering awards across small, medium and large law firms in three geographic regions.

Geoff Moore, managing partner of Arthur Cox, said: “We are delighted to receive this award in recognition of our commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion both in Arthur Cox and the wider community.

“The firm has formal initiatives for gender and LGBT+ in the workplace and their success is attributable to a carefully developed suite of programmes. We still have more work to do in this space, but I am very pleased that we are heading in the right direction.”

Melanie Crowley, partner and head of employment law at Mason Hayes & Curran LLP, said: “We are honoured to be recognized by the Accenture Outside Counsel Diversity Awards.

“In Mason Hayes & Curran LLP we work hard to ensure that we have a diverse and inclusive workplace for our people, but also for our clients and suppliers. To be acknowledged for this by an organisation like Accenture who we consider to be at forefront of Diversity and Inclusion is very rewarding and incredibly humbling.

“Through our policies and CSR we have invested significantly to increase diversity in the legal professional through initiatives like the UCD Sutherland Opportunities Fund and Trinity Access Programme. We have also revamped our own recruitment programmes to ensure that our teams are more representative of society.

“Although we have made progress we know that this is an ongoing challenge and we strive to be a worthy winner of this award, now and in the future.”

Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture, said: “Having a culture of equality starts with the belief that diversity matters – that it’s not only the right thing to do but an important part of your business.

“These firms understand that, and they approach inclusion and diversity with the same discipline they apply to every business priority. It is an honour to recognise them.”

Joel Unruch, general counsel and corporate secretary at Accenture, added: “We celebrate these firms’ commitment to thinking differently, with an eye toward action and outcomes. I truly believe that we can drive meaningful change in our industry by innovating and working together.”