The lawyers and staff of Harper Grey live and work in our community. We are drawn from our community and do our best to serve it. Our culture is therefore founded on giving back. We give more than money – we invest our time, expertise, knowledge, and enthusiasm, all with care and compassion.
Our diversity fosters innovation and excellence and allows us to serve at the highest level. We champion a workforce that celebrates differences and values unique perspectives. Our firm-wide programs, leadership commitment, and vision all focus on maintaining and expanding the diversity of our firm’s lawyers and staff, and creating an environment in which we, our clients, and our community can flourish.
Check out our Instagram feed to see some of our initiatives and explore how we are active in our community. Our commitment to community goes further than talk – here are some of the concrete ways we’re making positive contributions.
University of Victoria Diversity Award
September 2021 marked the first disbursement of the annual Harper Grey LLP Diversity Award at the University of Victoria. The $1,000 award is made to an undergraduate Black, Indigenous, Person of Colour (BIPOC) woman student entering the UVic Faculty of Law.
Capilano University Diversity Award
Harper Grey has committed to three annual awards for paralegals and legal assistances to recognize and support students in the paralegal and legal assistant programs at Capilano University who identify as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Colour (BIPOC).
University of British Columbia LSAT Prep Course Sponsorship
Harper Grey proudly sponsors the University of British Columbia LSAT Prep Course for Black and Indigenous students.
30% Club Canada
On March 22, 2019, Harper Grey become a member of the 30% Club Canada as part of its commitment to promote the retention and advancement of women in business leadership.
The 30% Club is an organization with the aim of achieving a better gender balance at the board level and senior management level in businesses across the country. They are working to build a strong foundation of business leaders who are committed to meaningful, sustainable gender balance in business leadership. The goal of the organization is for 30% of board seats and C-Suites to be held by women in Canada by 2022. Read more about the 30% Club Canada here.
Justicia Project
We are an active member of the Justicia Project. The Justicia Project was developed by the Law Society of Upper Canada in response to concerns relating to the retention and advancement of women lawyers in private practice. Implemented in British Columbia in 2012, the Project is a voluntary program bringing together law firms committed to sharing best practices and developing resources and programs to support women lawyers.
As a participating firm, Harper Grey has committed to supporting the Project and achieving goals in the following four areas:
- Tracking gender demographics
- Reviewing flexible work arrangements and parental leave policies
- Adopting initiatives to foster women’s networking and business development
- Promoting leadership skills for women
Learn more about the Justicia Project here.
Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network
On March 19, 2015 Harper Grey joined the Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network (LFDIN), as affirmation of its commitment to promote diversity and encourage a culture of inclusion. The LFDIN is a group of Vancouver law firms who have agreed to work together to promote diversity and inclusion in our firms and the broader legal profession. We meet regularly to share best practices to support all forms of diversity and inclusion.
As a participating member, Harper Grey signed the LFDIN Statement of Principles. The member law firms:
- share ideas for the promotion of diversity and inclusion in connection with recruitment, retention and advancement within law firms;
- work with Legal Leaders for Diversity and other general counsel, law departments, business leaders and professional associations in their efforts to advance diversity and inclusion;
- support outreach programs in law schools and broader community;
- promote thought leadership and constructive dialogue on issues of diversity; and
- consistently evaluate our efforts.
LGBTQ2S+
We are committed to providing all firm members with a safe and inclusive space where they feel comfortable bringing their, full authentic selves to work every day. We continue to educate ourselves and have hosted various LGBTQ+ speakers. Please refer to our blog for more information about specific events.
CBABC Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Community Section (SOGIC-BC) – Harper Grey sponsored and volunteered at the SOGIC-BC Vancouver Pride Parade Float for three consecutive years.
Proud Zebra – Harper Grey has supported this local business by purchasing accessories that celebrate LGBTQ2S+ expression and allyship. Proud Zebra aims to raise awareness about LGBTQ+ issues individuals face daily and have created six unique charity awareness pins where 100% of profits from these pins are donated to specific charities fighting for a good cause.
Indigenous Communities and Reconciliation
We understand the importance of education and pride ourselves on establishing collaborative partnerships with Indigenous communities to support self-determination. We work closely with our Indigenous clients and their business partners and are proud of our active commitment to Reconciliation. Our legal services are focused on our clients’ prosperity through economic development and the stewardship of natural resources with an aim to increase equality and access for Indigenous populations. We are committed to continuing education within the firm and routinely host relevant speakers. Check out our Instagram feed to see some of our initiatives and explore how we are active in our community. We are also taking active steps down the pathway towards Reconciliation through education including welcoming Indigenous Educators for active learning by our team and working towards a Reconciliation Action Plan in collaboration with the Canadian Bar Association.
Memberships
Our lawyers are active members in a number of organizations involved in actively promoting diversity and inclusion in the legal profession and broader community, such as:
Commitment to Equality
Our lawyers and staff are committed to cultivating an environment where everyone feels respected, valued, seen, and heard. Our commitment to equality extends to all aspects of our firm, from hiring and professional development to client interactions and community engagement.
Our firm’s Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee focuses on advancing Harper Grey’s firm-wide diversity and inclusiveness strategies and supporting initiatives to identify, enhance, and implement best practices in all areas of diversity and inclusion.
The Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee is led by our Chief Diversity Officer, Owais Ahmed, and supported by various committee members including staff and lawyers.
Embracing Differences
Diversity at Harper Grey goes beyond race and gender; it encompasses a spectrum of identities, experiences, and backgrounds. We actively seek and celebrate differences in age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical abilities, religious beliefs, and more. Our goal is to create a workplace where every individual is empowered to freely and proudly bring their authentic selves to work.
Inclusive Leadership
Our leadership team is dedicated to fostering an inclusive culture that permeates every aspect of our organization. We believe that true leadership is about empowering others, and we strive to provide mentorship, support, and opportunities for professional growth to individuals from all walks of life.
Initiatives and Programs
Gender Balance and Women’s Initiatives
We are committed to building and leveraging an inclusive culture in everything we do. For many years, we were proud to lead the way when it came to inclusion of women in the workplace. And we continue to lead because we know that only by example and innovation can we effect change.
Our commitment to advancing women through our ranks began early — only 26 years after women received the right to vote in Canada. Miss Winifred Langfield, secretary to Mr. Craig, became qualified as a barrister and solicitor and immediately joined “Craig and Tysoe”, as our firm was then known, becoming a partner in 1945.
In keeping with this pioneer spirit, more than 25 years ago Harper Grey created a written maternity and parental leave policy for its lawyers that provided top-up for women lawyers during their leaves at a time when such policies were notably few. We were also a leader in developing flexible work and part time policies and have had flexible work arrangements for partners and associates for nearly 25 years.
Since the firm’s early days, Harper Grey has attracted, retained, and promoted talented female lawyers at rates exceeding the averages for large law firms. Our firm has had at least 20% female partners for the last 25 years. We attribute our success in retaining and advancing women in our firm to our early recognition of the need to view families and family responsibilities wholistically.
We are deeply committed to the retention and advancement of women lawyers. This commitment is reflected in the number of women that hold leadership positions in our firm as practice group chairs and co-chairs, committee chairs, and members of our management committee. The women in our firm are leaders and role models and contribute to the ongoing professional development and success of other women lawyers within the firm.
A number of our women lawyers have been recognized as leaders in the legal profession. Three of our female partners are King’s Counsel, three have been recipients of Lexpert 40 Under 40 awards, one the recipient of a Lexpert Women Leaders Zenith award as well as a Stronger Together Women in Law Leadership Award, and many others are recognized by peer-review ranking publications including Best Lawyers®, Benchmark Canada®, and Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory®.
Our commitment to the advancement of women also extends outside of the firm. Many of our hold roles on various boards and associations and are involved with industry events that support women such as Women in Cancer Crusade, Dress for Success and WOWriders. Many of our female partners are mentors through the CBA’s Women’s Lawyers Forum.
News Monique Sever participated in International Legal Technology Association’s video titled “Diversity in eDiscovery: It’s No Longer a Man’s World” March 25, 2024 
