Inclusion and Diversity

At McCullough Robertson we create an inclusive work environment and are fiercely protective of allowing our people to bring their whole self to work.

We believe that the key to creating a collaborative and innovative experience for our people, clients and community partners centres around diversity of thought and the ability to incorporate different points of view for maximum engagement. Old ways do not open new doors, and we feel strongly that continuously evolving and challenging ourselves will allow us to do things more inclusively.

Our diverse workforce, driven by a safe and supportive high-performance environment, is what makes working at McCullough Robertson unique. We are fiercely protective of our culture that is underpinned by our values and our shared purpose.

We will continue to evolve our culture, unlocking new opportunities as we build new skills and continue to challenge old ways.

Since 2014 we have achieved Employer of Choice for Gender Equality with the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. We are proud of this however we do not underestimate the importance of continuing to work hard to retain this citation.

To read our voluntary employer statement regarding the publishing of our gender pay gap click here.

We are proud to be recognised for our work on diversity and inclusion winning the Queensland Law Society’s Large & Medium Legal Practice Award at their annual Equity & Diversity Awards in 2019 and the Lawyers Weekly Diversity Law Firm of the Year. In 2021 we achieved the inaugural Champions of Pride Excellence award for national law firms recognised by Lawyers Weekly.

Gender

We have worked hard to provide an environment that celebrates our female staff and provides access to opportunities enabling them to thrive.

“At McCullough Robertson, we believe in gender equality, as we uphold our core values of being generous, down to earth, committed, and commercial.  We recognise that equal treatment of all individuals is not only the right thing to do but also essential for fostering a diverse, inclusive, and thriving workplace culture.  Driven by fairness, respect, and equity, we create an environment where every individual, regardless of gender, can reach their full potential and together we can unlock success.”   

Kristan Conlon, Chair of Partners

 

To date we have introduced

  • a market-leading gender neutral commencement salary, which guarantees no unconscious gender bias when offering a salary to prospective employees, and avoids the embedding of a gender pay gap.
  • an additional 12 weeks’ superannuation pay to our female employees on maternity leave as we recognise that this is an area which unfairly impacts women in the workplace.
  • a succession framework that proactively supports career progression with opportunities for mentorship and sponsorship, enabling individuals to seamlessly move into leadership roles.
  • 18 weeks paid parental leave for primary carer and 6 weeks paid leave for secondary carers.
  • $5,000 payment towards childcare upon return to work for our primary carers.
  • flexibility in every role.

Year 101: Women in Law

We also understand that our journey towards gender equality is, like most of the legal profession, ongoing and something we need to continue to deliberately and consistently work on together.

To celebrate the impact and influence of women in the legal industry, in 2019 we created Year 101:Women in Law as a forward-focused conversation exploring the challenges, opportunities and vision for the next 100 years, and what it will take to continue progressing women within the law.

Diverse genders and sexualities

This year we celebrate our five years since the launch of McColour.

Our McColour initiatives are run by passionate and committed partners and staff from across the firm and we are proud of what has been achieved during our first five years including Gold and Silver Employer awards in the Australian Workplace Equality Index managed by Pride in Diversity. Our partnerships with Pride in Diversity and Pride in Law are strong and we are always looking for ways to collaborate with them to strengthen awareness and education across McCullough Robertson and the broader profession.

“I’m writing to express the sincere gratitude of Pride Inclusion Program’s for your generous support of the “Future of Australian Sport” panel event and for funding the 2023 membership for Skate Australia of Pride in Sport.

Thanks to your support, we were able to bring together three brave and talented sports icons to discuss important issues affecting the LGBTQ community and allow the amazing group your firm brought together to gain insights into the many challenges of LGBTQ diversity in sport.

The leadership of McCullough Robertson in supporting LGBTQ inclusion is truly appreciated.

Chris Keely
Deputy Director, ACON’s Pride Inclusion Programs
Pride in Diversity, Pride in Sport, Pride in Health + Wellbeing

Cultural diversity

Since our first Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in July 2019 we are proud of the relationships we have developed and the work we have done with our stakeholders as part of these relationships. In November 2022 we developed our second Innovate RAP which continues our journey and demonstrate how these relationships have strengthened over this time.

Our YARN Committee which drives the work in our RAP is lead by partners and staff who are committed to taking steps towards reconciliation and creating conversations beyond the law such as our signature dinner with clients and community as part of NAIDOC week.

Working families

At McCullough Robertson we are committed to providing a rewarding workplace for all staff which enables all members of the firm to balance the demands of work with other interests, obligations and activities.

We partner with you to create a sustainable working pattern that works for you, your team and our clients. Access to technology that enables you to work wherever and whenever you need is the platform on which our flexibility is built and this, coupled with a culture of trust and strong communication, means that solutions can be found whatever the challenge.

We are proud of our support framework for parents returning to work, one aspect of which is a childcare contribution payment of up to $5,000 for our authors. We are also proud of our new initiative called My Story creating a safe and supportive forum for our people to share their experiences about managing career and family and to learn from each other.

Disability and access

Our commitment is to create an accessible, inclusive and informed workplace, where we can collectively make a difference for people with disability to gain equal opportunities and grow their career.

Our initiatives are lead by our Disability and Access team which is made up of partners and staff from across the firm. Their action plan is focused on three priority areas being Facilities, Technology and our Work Experience Program. We are proud to partner with HELP Enterprises for our work experience program.

We are also a proud member of the Australian Network on Disability.

Wellbeing

Our commitment to a safe and supportive culture for all is the foundation of our employee experience.

Our aim is to protect and enhance the wellbeing of all partners and staff particularly acknowledging the impacts on wellbeing prevalent in the legal profession.

We demonstrate our commitment through building awareness and skills in Mental Health First Aid right across our firm, which has led to our recognition as a Skilled Workplace with Mental Health First Aid Workplace Recognition Program.

Awards and recognition

Charter for the Advancement of Women
Lawyers Weekly Champions of Pride Finalist 2021
Lawyer's Weekly Champions of Pride National Winner