Inclusion and Community
Inclusion Now is more than just a diversity policy or program.
With a proud history of leadership in this space, diversity and inclusion have always been a priority for McCarthy Tétrault. We launched Inclusion Now in 2019, a first-of-its-kind office with the goal of greatly improving our firm culture and communities. Along with a dedicated Chief Inclusion Officer to lead our strategy, this program ensures we are taking our culture and corporate citizenship to the next level.
Inclusion Now is our firm-wide, award-winning strategy to attract, retain, and advance Canada’s best legal talent. With a vision to recruiting and elevating members of Black and Indigenous communities, people of colour, women, 2SLGBTQIA+ persons, and people of all abilities, Inclusion Now informs every aspect of who we are as a law firm.
Built on the four pillars of Leadership, Talent, Culture and Community, Inclusion Now is part of our operational core. It yields new opportunities for our professionals, improves outcomes for our clients, and leads to a greater impact in the communities where we work and live.
McCarthy Tétrault: The First Canadian Law Firm To
Our Pillars
Inclusion Now is an action-oriented strategy centered around four pillars; Leadership, Talent, Culture, and Community.
Within our Pillars live our Action Groups; Race, Abilities, Gender, and Pride. Our Action Groups bring Inclusion Now alive across the firm by implementing initiatives relating to recruitment, retention, education, community service, and pro bono.
Inclusion Now Pillars
Built on the four pillars of Leadership, Talent, Culture and Community, Inclusion Now is part of our operational core.
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United Way
The Inclusion Now Gift, McCarthy Tétrault’s trailblazing five-year, $5-million commitment to United Way Centraide, funds agencies and programs in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montréal, and Québec City that remove barriers to inclusion for marginalized groups and populations who face daily challenges.
Our Promise to Reconciliation
McCarthy Tétrault is committed to our obligations under the Calls to Action set out by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
Our Reconciliation Committee is chaired by John Brown, McCarthy Tétrault’s Legal and Strategic Advisor for Indigenous Initiatives whose heritage is connected to the Sto:lo of the Fraser River Valley in British Columbia,
Our Reconciliation Committee:
- Impliments McCarthy Tétrault’s Reconciliation Action Plan;
- Actively works to recruit and retain Indigenous lawyers and staff;
- Works with Indigenous community partners to raise awareness of the legacy of residential schools, close gaps and remove barriers for Indigenous people, and support Indigenous Peoples and cultures.
Truth and Reconciliation Commitment
McCarthy Tétrault is committed to advancing the Calls to Action by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
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Awards and Recognition
McCarthy Tétrault is proud to have received several major awards recognizing our commitment to inclusion:
- A Top 100 Canadian employer 13 years, from 2012 to 2023.
- Ranked as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for 13 years, from 2012 to present.
- Honoured with the 2025 Catalyst Award for the impact Inclusion Now has had on advanced gender equity in the workplace. We are the first Canadian law firm to receive this award.
- Winner of the Canadian Law Awards Diversity Initiative of the Year in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024.
- 2019 Emil Gumpert Award from the American College of Trial Lawyers for our contributions to the development of the Indigenous Human Rights Clinic.
We are the recipient of several Women in Business Law awards by Legal Media Group, including:
- Best Gender Diversity Initiative by a National Law Firm in North America
- Best National Firm Work-Life Balance in North America
- Best National Firm for Women in Business Law in North America
