Diversity isn't about quotas

It is entirely possible to have diversity in the workplace and for equal opportunities to be available. As a woman leading a business, some would say I am a prime example of how this can be achieved in a profession which has been traditionally male led.

Diversity in the workplace can mean many things such as gender, age, ethnicity, religious faith, to name but a few.

Regardless of the sector within which you operate, embracing diversity in the workplace is about embracing current and future employees as individuals and identifying key strengths from which your business can benefit. At times you have to be creative and flexible to capture the right people.

As a firm, we've with the times, and never more so than during 2013. We have seen the founding generation step aside to allow a fresh new outlook to be developed, in terms of how we deliver our service offering, especially in process-driven areas, so that each individual within the business has the opportunity to have input into and benefit personally in our future.

We have also recently appointed internal ambassadors within our different departments to ensure business messages are communicated up and down and at all levels, so everyone has a voice, regardless of their position within the company.

On a recruitment level we embrace diversity and I have a strong personal ethos of equality, always measuring recruitment or promotion on an individual's skills and ability. Quotas don't ever come into it as I wouldn't want to miss the opportunity of working with a great individual.

When it comes to this industry, people buy people, and a down to earth, no-nonsense attitude and approach can help you go '¨far, regardless of your gender, age or ethnicity.

Being one of only two female managing partners in the North East has certainly attracted attention from the regional media and within the legal scene, and hopefully this will act as a way of encouraging more women to practice law in the region. However, I for one have never personally encountered any form of discrimination during my 10 year career and have been lucky to work within organisations that see women and men as complimenting each other, bringing their skills and abilities together to succeed in business.

I agree that the legal profession is not always weighted in women's favour; I am often surrounded by males at conferences and talks. From a gender perspective, my advice to any aspiring female lawyer would be to simply get your head down and work hard. If you have a good work ethic and a determined mind then everything else is by the by. SJ