Inclusion and diversity | Miller Thomson LLP

At Miller Thomson, inclusion and diversity are critical components of our vision, values and strategic plan.

Supported by the firm’s leadership, our inclusion and diversity initiatives are an integral component of our business strategy and key to our success. As a national law firm representing a diverse client base, we are committed to attracting, retaining, promoting and developing talented professionals and staff to better enable us to serve our clients creatively, to reflect our clients’ workforces and values, as well as the communities in which firm members live and work.

An inclusive and diverse environment is what helps us to thrive in the national and global marketplaces.

Inclusion & Diversity initiatives

Miller Thomson’s leadership team has strategically prioritized inclusion and diversity initiatives as an integral component of the Firm’s business strategy and a key to success. To this end, the Firm formed a National Inclusion and Diversity Committee which serves as an advisory committee to the leadership team on how to best lead and support the above noted commitment by identifying initiatives and resources, and by providing oversight to approved initiatives to ensure objectives are achieved. The Firm has since implemented a number of initiatives including generating awareness, dialogue and action through internal education programs as well as, through active participation in external organizations such as the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, the Canadian Board Diversity Council, the Women’s Executive Network, the Justicia Project and the Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network.

The Firm’s National Inclusion and Diversity Committee has developed and is currently executing on a 3 year strategic plan focused on four pillars: recruitment, retention, path to leadership, and path the advancement.

Our commitment and initiatives specific to diversity and inclusion directly support the business, corporate and people strategies of the Firm:

establishing a Miller Thomson Diversity Policy
forming a National Inclusion and Diversity Committee
recruiting diverse legal and administrative professionals
leveraging the diverse skills of our legal and administrative professionals
encouraging all Firm members to support diversity and inclusion through their actions

In 2014, Miller Thomson was one of five law firms to sponsor the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion’s Diversity by the Numbers: The Legal Profession initiative – to better understand the demographic makeup of the legal profession in Canada. We remain a sponsor and active participant of this initiative today.

Our ongoing participation in this census assists the Firm to:

accurately collect and analyze diversity-related demographics
provide comparative data to benchmark ourselves against industry leaders
establish objective, data-driven insights to structure diversity and inclusion action plans
generate data for formal reporting processes

At Miller Thomson, diversity and inclusion are critical components of our vision, values and strategic plan. Miller Thomson prides itself on being a diverse environment with lawyers and administrative professionals from many backgrounds. Central to our Firm’s Code of Behaviour is upholding respect to each other and to our clients. As a Firm, we are dedicated to fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace that respects and values differences and embraces diversity.

Awards and accolades

Miller Thomson is proud to be named among the finalists, alongside our client referee Birks Group, for the Chambers Diversity & Inclusion Awards: North America 2021 in three categories:

Canada Private Practice – Firm Award: Outstanding Law Firm for D&I
Canada In-House – Individual Award: Outstanding Contribution to Diversity and Inclusion
- Gassim Bangoura, Birks Group Inc.
Canada In-House – Company Award: Outstanding Company for Diversity and Inclusion
- Birks Group Inc.

The awards, which celebrate the achievements of firms and individuals across North America who are advancing diversity and inclusion through various initiatives, will be presented at a virtual ceremony on June 17, 2021.

Miller Thomson was certified silver level by Women in Governance’s Parity Certification in 2018. Women in Governance serves to help Canadian organizations achieve gender parity and increase the representation of women in roles where they have historically been underrepresented. The certification process evaluates parity at the decision-making level of an organization as well as its commitment to implement mechanisms that enable women at all levels of the organization’s hierarchy achieve career advancement and to create a pipeline of female talent.

Miller Thomson was the recipient of the 2017 Canadian HR Award for Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion. The Canadian HR Awards celebrate excellence in the Human Resources profession, recognizing individuals, teams and companies for their outstanding achievements in people management.

Our firm leadership has strategically prioritized inclusion and diversity initiatives as a key component to our success. To that end, we implemented a number of programs to generate awareness, dialogue and action through internal education campaigns and active participation in organizations including the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, the Canadian Board Diversity Council, the Women’s Executive Network, the Justicia Project and the Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network. We also launched our 1L Indigenous Law Student Program – the first of its kind offered by a Canadian national law firm – with the goal of assisting Indigenous students develop and expand their professional networks, while providing a base of support and exposure to a wide variety of practice areas within the culture of a leading national firm.

Inclusion & Diversity committee

National Diversity Scholarship and Mentoring Program

Miller Thomson has officially launched a National Diversity Scholarship and Mentorship Program for 2021.

Statement on Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc and Kamloops Indian Residential School

Miller Thomson LLP expresses our grief and extends our heartfelt condolences to the families and communities impacted by the discovery of 215 children who died and were buried in unmarked graves at the Kamloops Residential School.

Read full statement

Forward together

Miller Thomson is proud to be an Employer Partner of The Canadian Centre for Diversity & Inclusion.