What does inclusion mean to Taylor Rose?

This year, we’re celebrating International Women’s Day and what it means to #InspireInclusion.

International Women’s Day is a global day to celebrate and uphold the achievements of women across the world. It is also a day where we recognise and collectively challenge inequality for women. International Women’s Day say that “To truly include women means to openly embrace their diversity of race, age, ability, faith, body image, and how they identify. Worldwide, women must be included in all fields of endeavour.”

At Taylor Rose, we celebrate the achievements of amazing women at our firm. Congratulations to Keeley Lengthorn who won Female Trailblazer of the Year at last night’s Modern Law Awards!

We are committed to promoting gender equality and inspiring inclusion within our organisation. inspire inclusion. We spoke to a variety of women around the firm on what inclusion means to them:

Recruiting, retaining and developing female talent

Jenny Tod, Recruitment Manager takes us through recruiting, retaining and developing female talent. Employers are 1.5 times more likely to hire men over women, according to a statistic from 2023.

Jenny says “My role as a recruiter is to recruit with inclusion, to ensure that there are fair and equal opportunities for all candidates during the whole recruitment and selection process. Taylor Rose recruit based on skills, will, strengths and weaknesses, behaviours, relevance to role and attitude. Alongside recruiting with inclusion, we retain and develop, inclusively, again based on thorough assessment of the suitability of the individual.

We as an industry need to encourage our female talent to strive for positions of influence, to help organisations consider an inclusive representation, especially at board level. As a whole Taylor Rose are committed to inclusion and this shines through with the number of strong female leaders within the business. I am proud of the work we are doing as a firm to open opportunities to female ‘stars’ in Taylor Rose, and although there is still work to do, we are committed to being ambassadors in our industry to recognise and empower female talent.”

Ali Jubb, Marketing Manager comments “Juggling motherhood and a fulfilling career can feel like an impossible balancing act. As a full-time mum, I completely understand the real struggle of ‘mum guilt’. It's a constant battle between wanting to be present for every milestone and pursuing professional aspirations. However, I'm incredibly grateful to have found a way to thrive in both areas, thanks to the amazing opportunity of working part-time in a leadership role at Taylor Rose.

My experience is proof that success doesn't have to come at the cost of family time. Here at Taylor Rose, we're fortunate to have several remarkable women demonstrating the power of part-time leadership. They are not only exceptional leaders, but also dedicated mothers who navigate the same challenges and triumphs as many working mothers face. Working part-time allows me to contribute meaningfully to the firm I'm passionate about, while also dedicating quality time to my child.

With a supportive work environment and flexible arrangements, I've been able to achieve a level of professional fulfilment that I wouldn't have thought possible working part-time. Here at Taylor Rose, we've seen firsthand the success of such initiatives, and I believe many more could benefit from this approach as well.”

Providing women and girls with access to quality education and training

Olivia Steen, Conveyancer discusses providing women and girls with access to quality education and training. In a recent report by UNICEF, it was confirmed that in 2023 there were 129 million girls, worldwide, without education. The opportunity to learn, and develop new skills, should not be a luxury. She says that "education is a top priority at Taylor Rose, and she has personally experienced its importance. 

I started at the firm in 2017 after graduating from University. I worked as a Conveyancing Assistant and learned a lot from the woman who trained me. With the support of Taylor Rose M I was able to join a Trainee Conveyancer Program. Following graduating from the program, I have progressed to a Residential Conveyancing Case Handler in my own right, to a team leader in 2023, and am now currently working towards my CLC qualification to become a licenced Conveyancer.

I have been a team leader for 13 months, and I manage three hard working women, who, alongside developing their knowledge in their everyday roles, working hard to progress their futures, are also full time Mums. The dedication, and hardworking attitudes I see daily from these women is indescribable. From conversations I have had with my team, they feel extremely supported in their education by Taylor Rose. And this is how each business should support their staff. I feel extremely fortunate to work for Taylor Rose and look forward to supporting all women in their right to education.”

Zakia Hussain, a Licensed Conveyancer, helps girls get good education outside her regular work. Over the past 6-7 years Zakia has helped build (and currently sponsors) an all-girls school in a rural village in Pakistan.

The school is for girls from disadvantaged backgrounds. Providing them with a good education, tools, and skills for their future. Zakia says “without this school, girls would not be able to access any type of education.” Click here to find out more.

Elevating women and girl's participation and achievement in sport

Helen Lobozzo, Head of Client Care discusses elevating women and girl's participation and achievement in sport. Helen says “As a girl mum, I want my daughter to grow to be a strong and confident woman. To help nurture that, I encourage her to try different sports and activities even though some of these in the past have been male dominated like football.

It’s positive to see so many women in this arena now as shining stars. My daughter has also recently started training in martial arts. I believe that this is teaching her to be strong not only physically but mentally too - hopefully helping her through life’s challenges in the future. So, to all those amazing ladies out there let’s keep cutting through gender bias, supporting our daughters who are our future women.”

As a firm we also celebrate our Directors Awards which aim to recognise the exceptional contributions of our team members who consistently go above and beyond expectations. We were delighted to announce that these inspiring women were recently noticed for their exceptional work.

Subarna Manikkaratnam, our Legal Champion, has been recognised for her outstanding performance in facilitating a complex purchase which resulted in its successful completion in under two months, showcasing her remarkable efficiency and professionalism. Her consistent communication and pleasant demeanour made the process smooth and positive, earning her well-deserved recognition and appreciation.

Abigail Blackwell has been honoured with the Corporate Champion Award for her exceptional contributions to a panel, notably for efficiently managing a substantial workload. Her dedication has played a significant role in supporting our personnel resulting in increased work opportunities.

Earlier in the year, we also celebrated Katie Higgins, Client Care Coordinator and Hilary Soanes, Head of Legal Support Operations for their well-deserved awards.

Adrian Jaggard, CEO says “Increasing inclusivity for women within the legal sector is imperative for fostering a profession that is both fair and representative. Traditionally, the legal field has been predominantly male, and thankfully this has now changed. Nevertheless, at Taylor Rose, we are committed to ensuring that our diverse strengths and perspectives apply to every part of our firm.”

Gloria Steinem, world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist once explained "The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organisation but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights." Today, we focus only a handful of brilliant women, and we are proud to continuously commemorate and appreciate women working across Taylor Rose, not just today, but every day!