On Tuesday, 15 September, LDIA member firms came together to look ahead at our upcoming initiatives, but also to make time for an interactive discussion about where we stand today on diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal sector.
Under the theme “From Challenges to Action”, we reflected on where firms are seeing tangible progress and, equally importantly, where challenges remain.
Our discussions touched on leadership and partner engagement, time and resources, DEI fatigue and polarisation, diverse talent pipelines, retention and progression, data and meaningful KPIs, and the ongoing challenge of moving from awareness to concrete and sustainable action.
But perhaps the most important part of the conversation was not simply identifying the challenges. It was asking what we can do about them – together. If we could collectively solve, or significantly improve, one DEI challenge in the legal sector over the next 12 months, what should it be?
A valuable exchange, with plenty of food for thought and, more importantly, ideas that can be turned into action.
Thank you to all our member firms for contributing so constructively. This kind of exchange – sharing experiences, challenges and possible solutions – is exactly why bringing firms around the same table matters.
And a big thank you to Van Bael & Bellis for hosting us and for the wonderful hospitality and lunch.
18 June – Championing LGBTQI+ Rights in a Changing Legal Landscape
During the event “𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐆𝐁𝐓𝐐𝐈+ 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞”, experts explored landmark developments across Europe and the United States. Discussions highlighted the growing importance of strategic litigation, the EU Court of Justice’s reaffirmation that EU values are legally binding, and the critical role of courts in advancing equality, non-discrimination, family rights and gender identity recognition.
The panel also looked ahead to emerging legal frontiers, including non-binary recognition, intersex rights, gender-affirming care, and the participation of transgender individuals in society.
One message resonated throughout the discussion: 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐜𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲, 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧. Many of the landmark cases discussed were only possible thanks to the dedication of lawyers and pro bono support.
Thank you to our moderator Kyriakos Fountoukakos and distinguished panelists Arpi Avetisyan, Daniel Dittert, John Elias and Susanne Knöfel for an insightful discussion, and to Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer for making this event possible. 🙏🏻
#LDIA#LGBTQI#Equality#HumanRights#Inclusion#RuleOfLaw#LegalProfession#DiversityAndInclusion
12 February – 7th Anniversary of the Launch of LDIA
💫 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐀. 💫 A strong turnout. Thoughtful, honest and nuanced contributions. And, a powerful keynote by Julien De Wit, who reminded us: (Young) people value equality, climate action, freedom and justice more than ever. Yet they see the institutions that promise these values failing in practice. That gap breeds distrust. And as he concluded: it’s not about perfection, it’s about purpose.
💥 This was followed by an engaging panel discussion with Julien De Wit, Jasmine Malekzadem, Annemarie Van Engeland and Cédric Bruyninckx, expertly moderated by Wim De Vilder.
Together, we explored 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
👉🏻 what it is,
👉🏻 where it comes from, and
👉🏻 why we are so receptive to it.
👉🏻 Why does fear spread so quickly?
👉🏻 Why does complexity overwhelm us?
👉🏻 And, how do we move from individual frustration to collective resilience?
What struck us most was what happened after the panel. Younger professionals came forward, searching for answers: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫, 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧? This is not a marginal question.
It concerns the future – and the credibility – of the legal profession itself. There are many stones still to turn, but 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤.
Some concrete takeaways:
🔹 Listen with intention.
🔹 Make space for nuance and complexity.
🔹 Resist binary thinking.
🔹 Invest in trust.
🔹 Lead with purpose.
🔹 Cultivate resilience, empathy and hope.
LDIA remains a space where difficult conversations are not avoided, but engaged with courage and respect. We are grateful to our outstanding speakers, our members and to everyone who joined us with openness and commitment.
Photos by Amina Fayzu Photography
Thank you to everyone who joined us for LDIA’s “𝐖𝐨-𝐌𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐰. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐀𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝.” 🌟 What an inspiring and meaningful evening it was.
We are sincerely grateful to all attendees for being part of the conversation and for bringing so much openness, energy and engagement throughout the evening. The honesty, mutual respect and willingness to exchange perspectives truly made this a special gathering.
A very special thank you goes to our keynote speaker Andrea Lawler, our outstanding roundtable speakers Ruxandra Cana, Els Koninckx, Johan Heymans, Heidi Waem, Yuriy Rudyuk and our wonderful moderator Esohe Weyden for sharing your experiences, insights and perspectives so generously. Your contributions sparked important conversations around leadership, career progression, wellbeing, visibility, inclusion and the future of the legal profession.
As our Chair Kathleen M. (Kat) Van Nuffel reflected during the evening:
“𝘈𝘵 𝘓𝘋𝘐𝘈, 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯.”
Thank you for helping us continue that dialogue and for showing, once again, the strength and value of bringing people together across firms, experiences and perspectives. 💫
We look forward to continuing the conversation with all of you.
#LDIA#WomenInLaw#Leadership#Inclusion#LegalProfession#Belonging #FutureOfWork#Equality#Equity