Our commitment to diversity

We value all diversity in all dimensions

Pearce IP is committed to fostering a positive, respectful, diverse and inclusive work environment where employee differences are respected and valued and for all to have equal access to opportunities. We support and embrace each other’s differences and the daily actions of all staff should promote a fair, equitable and supportive work setting.

As the only Australian IP firm with a female founder and with more than 80% of the team women, Pearce IP is committed to celebrating and embracing a diverse workforce which includes 20% of senior management with disability and 12% of the team from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.

Creating an environment of trust, respect and inclusion leads to benefits such as greater innovation, better understanding of our clients and their needs, along with attracting and retaining a wide range of talented staff.

As a company we are dedicated to a culture that reflects and represents the community in which we work. Our executive team plays an important role as champions, providing leadership that creates a positive and inclusive workplace.

Pearce IP’s inclusive workplace understands and respects differences such as age, caring responsibilities, cultural background, disability, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender expression and intersex status.

Pearce IP has Australia’s only female founder and more than 80% of its leaders across the firm are women

Pearce IP is a place where it is “normal” to see women in leadership and where pay equity is a ‘given’. As Australia’s only female founded IP firm, we are proud to have a majority leadership of capable, respected women, which is rarely seen in law firms in Australia:

As of 1 March 2023, our staffing demographics relating to women in the workplace were as follows:

• Pearce IP has a female founder.
• More than 80% of the Pearce IP leaders are women.
• More than 80% of the Pearce IP team are women.

Pearce IP’s founder Naomi Pearce is the 2022 Asia Pacific Patent Lawyer of the Year at the Women in Business Law Awards, is the only Australian practitioner recognised by WIPR as a Diversity Champion in IP for 2022, and the only Australian practitioner honoured by WIPR Diversity in 2021 in the world’s top 100 Influential Women in IP.  Naomi was honoured to be the recipient of the peer reviewed Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Partner of the Year (SME Law) in 2021.  Pearce IP was also one of 5 firms shortlisted for the jurisdiction award for Australia at the 2022  Women in Business Law Awards, an award which celebrates “law firms that have developed strong innovative practices and projects that highlight gender diversity”.

Our policies support and celebrate diversity

At Pearce IP, we embrace policy that celebrates diversity in a myriad of ways.

With policies that provide paid maternity leave for families who have had a miscarriage or lost a baby, parental leave for staff who have a baby via surrogacy, IVF leave, and menstrual and menopause leave for women, we demonstrate that Pearce IP’s priorities include the things that matter to our talent, ensuring the health, wellbeing and success of Pearce IP staff and their families.

Introducing Sorry Business Leave was an important step in acknowledging the diverse needs and requirements of all employees. Sorry Business Leave provides Pearce IP with the opportunity to better support our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff during a time that brings significant grief and emotional challenges.

Our “work from anywhere” model fosters diversity

A key factor in achieving diversity in our firm is our ‘work from anywhere’ model, allowing our team to efficiently meet client responsibilities as well as personal responsibilities, working both flexibly when required and in a way that works for them. Not only does this allow us to “hand pick” the best of the best without geographical limitation and opening up diverse geographical talent pools, it also removes barriers which might otherwise constrain a diverse work force. Working from home encourages our people to bring their whole selves to work, promoting inclusivity, understanding and appreciation of the value that diversity brings to our work and individual interactions.

In some states, staff are also provided with the opportunity to work from a dedicated office if they wish to, allowing for face-to-face engagement on a regular basis.

Committed to leading change

Determined to bring about change more broadly, our team members are active in the IP and legal community, including participating as sitting members on the Law Institute of Victoria, and AIPPI, and participating in mentoring programs.