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.

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.

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 meeting our responsibilities under the Calls to Action set out by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

Our Reconciliation Committee is chaired by our former partner John Brown, McCarthy Tétrault’s Legal and Strategic Advisor for Indigenous Initiatives. His family on his father’s side is Sto:lo whose traditional territory is in the Fraser River Valley in British Columbia.

Our Reconciliation Committee:

Strives to recruit and retain more Indigenous lawyers and staff in a good way;
Works with the lawyers and staff at McCarthy Tetrault, and with our Indigenous community partners to raise awareness of the legacy of residential schools and the ongoing crisis of MMIWG, remove barriers for Indigenous people, and support Indigenous people and their cultures, traditions, languages and spirituality.
Is creating a comprehensive Reconciliation Action Plan

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.
Consistently recognized as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers—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

Events

Events