Code of Conduct
for a Gender-Equal
Legal Profession
E.V.A. – Equally Valued Attorneys – is a code of conduct for purchasers and providers of legal services who wish to promote gender equality and strengthen social sustainability within the legal profession.
Download the Code of Conduct here
About Project E.V.A.
Gender inequality has long been a challenge in the legal services industry. Many law firms are actively working to address the matter, as unequal working conditions negatively impact talent retention and ultimately the quality of legal advice. Therefore, Cirio Law Firm, in collaboration with Associate Professor Jenny Lantz at the Stockholm School of Economics and occupational psychologist Jens Näsström, launched Project E.V.A. in the autumn of 2024.
The project was preceded by a report (in Swedish) authored by Cirio and Jens Näsström in the autumn of 2022 about clients’ influence on gender equality within law firms. The report clearly demonstrated that part of the inequality within the legal services industry stems from the way these services are procured and how the relationships between law firms and their clients are structured. To establish equal and gender conscious business relations, the relationship between purchasers and providers of legal services is therefore a key principle of Project E.V.A.
The E.V.A. Code of Conduct is designed for both law firms and clients to address challenges related to gender equality in their business relationships. The code is based on the shared insight that gender equality within client organisations and law firms is affected by how they act towards each other. The purpose of the code is to transform gender equality ambitions into concrete actions, which are then followed up throughout the different phases of the client and law firm relationship.
The code includes guidelines for every stage of the partnership between the client and the law firm, from managing personal relationships during procurement processes to ensuring that company culture is a factor in ongoing equality efforts. The code provides recommendations for both purchasers and providers of legal services.
The starting point for the project was a study involving interviews (in Swedish) with several stakeholders in the legal services industry, conducted by Associate Professor Jenny Lantz at the Stockholm School of Economics. Its purpose was to identify the factors that perpetuate inequality within the legal services industry. The code was subsequently developed by a project group consisting of purchasers and providers of legal services, Jenny Lantz, and occupational psychologist Jens Näsström. The project has addressed important gender equality topics in the client-law firm relationship, focusing on creating an effective tool that can be used by both parties.
The project group was comprised of both women and men representing attorneys and clients from several different sectors.
Download the Code of Conduct
A Code of Conduct for a Gender-Equal Legal Profession
The code provides guidance on how both parties – clients and law firms – can work together to create equal conditions, regardless of gender.
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