Aisling Mooney Eddy, Talent Director
Our people are the driving force behind our responsible business ambitions.
Making a sustainable impact means engaging meaningfully with our people throughout their career journey and life stages. That’s why our initiatives span the full career lifecycle, from inclusive recruitment and leadership development to promoting wellbeing and celebrating achievements.
Across 2022 to 2024, we’ve made further strides in fostering a supportive workplace across talent development, diversity and inclusion, wellbeing and recognition.
We’re proud of the awards and external recognition we have received, which reflect the strength of our culture and values. As we look ahead, we continually scrutinise our data, listen to our people and hold ourselves accountable to our values.
This enables us to continue evolving our people strategy to meet changing expectations, while ensuring it continues to align with our broader commitments and our ambition to lead as a responsible business.
Highlights 2022 - 2024
Female Leadership Initiative (FLI) introduced
Half of promoted partners over past five years are women
Be Counted campaign launched
staff volunteer for committees
D&I, Community, Responsible Business, Sports & Social, Green
Exceeded social mobility targets in graduate recruitment
pro bono hours
80% participation averaging 30 hours annually per lawyer
Investing in talent
Our people are at the heart of being a responsible business. We ensure each person at our firm is encouraged and equipped to realise their potential and excel. Facilitating professional development and providing the best conditions for rewarding careers enables us to support employee wellbeing, while building the expertise required to deliver for our clients.
We launched the ALG School of Business & Law in 2017 to centralise our investment in career development. We designed it to set our people up for success and to complement our strong culture and expertise in on-the-job learning. Customised development initiatives are led by a blend of internal and external experts and include:
- inductions – navigating transitions as people join our firm or advance to a new career path
- skills development – advancing competence in your role
- mentoring – learning from the experience of others
- access to further education
Across all levels, our people thrive through mentoring. Everyone at our firm gets to learn from the experience of others, through programmes such as:
- business services mentoring
- group mentoring for newly qualified solicitors
- partner mentoring for senior associates through Activate programme
- buddy system for new joiners
- pre-associate mentoring
- trainee peer mentoring
- lunch & learn peer sharing
People development highlights (2022–2024)
- Coaching as a Leader Programme
- Activate Programme for leadership
- two-year Fusion Programme for associates
- Mastery Programme – Diversity of Thinking
- workshops to help with annual feedback and self-assessment
- bespoke legal and professional trainee development
- Senior Associate Council
- Manager Net development and networking forum
Mentoring pilot produces long-term benefits
In 2023, ALG introduced a six-month pilot programme to offer mentoring to early career solicitors. Nadia Skelton, now an Associate in our Litigation department, joined the programme and was matched with a mentor after she completed a questionnaire on her working style and career ambitions.
As her focus area was both internal and client-facing business development, her mentor helped her consider how to approach meetings and pitch ideas to the partner in her practice.
While the initial plan was for Nadia and her mentor to meet every six to eight weeks, they now continue to meet as often more than two years later. While their meetings typically happen over coffee for an hour, Nadia prepares an agenda and she commits to an action list to complete before the next meeting.
"A key draw for me was having a mentor who was a partner in a different practice group. I could speak openly about any issues in my working environment, and my career expectations and ambitions, without the pressure of a formal check-in with your direct manager. It was also invaluable in preparing for reviews with my partner at year-end. It was (and is) valuable brainstorming time with input from someone who knows how the business is run."
Nadia Skelton
Associate, Litigation
Employee engagement and feedback
True to our collaborative ethos, we ensure we listen to and act on the feedback from our people. Our annual firmwide engagement survey helps us understand what we’re doing well and where we need to improve. About three quarters of our employees responded to our September 2024 survey and the results showed outstanding positive sentiment.
The survey also highlighted where we can improve, such as our working environment, how we communicate our firm’s objectives and strategic direction, and recognising excellence. To act on these suggestions, our firm-wide Impact Committee and Sub-Committees discuss them and present workable solutions. One example is the launch of our new recognition scheme to award people who have gone above and beyond their role.
Overall engagement score
(industry benchmark 77%)
Proud to work at ALG
(industry benchmark 78%)
Would recommend ALG as a good place to work
(industry benchmark 73%)
Agree ALG has acted to be more diverse and inclusive
(industry benchmark not established)
Fostering an inclusive workplace
For our firm, diversity and inclusion (D&I) is about respecting, valuing and fostering the differences that exist in our people. As a firm and as individuals, we strive to ensure we think and act in an inclusive way, and work for more diversity in our firm.
As part of our commitment to being an inclusive workplace, we gather feedback from our people on how we’re performing – ensuring our strategy is informed by lived experience across our five D&I pillars:
- gender equality
- social mobility
- accessibility
- cultural diversity
- LGBTQ+
Measurable progress 2022 - 2024
Launched our D&I principles developed by our D&I committees: Be Kind, Be Brave, Be Accountable and Be Curious.
Extended paternity leave to enhanced benefit of six weeks’ paid leave.
Founding signatory of Elevate Pledge, which seeks to build a diverse workforce that truly reflects Irish society.
Brought in paid leave for domestic violence and abuse leave.
Launched our Be Counted campaign to encourage staff to self-identify, helping to hold ourselves to account on D&I.
Dedicated portal for family leave to show entitlements and process, making it easy for our people to use.
Introduced new policies to cover fertility leave, gender identity and menopause.
Launched wellbeing benefit, to support our people in their self-care.
Our people driving change
Our employee networks and committees provide safe and empowering spaces for our people to express their views and actively contribute to strategy development. Across the firm, we see people at all levels working to spark change, within our organisation, in the legal sector and across society.
Our D&I Steering Group comprises our Talent Director, Aisling Mooney Eddy, our Head of Responsible Business, Sinéad Smith and two senior partners, Sarah Murphy and Richard Marron. The Steering Group is responsible for setting the strategy, overseeing implementation and reporting progress.
Storytelling night
Our D&I Committee partnered with Seanchoíche to host an event for our people to tell their stories about belonging.
ALG colleagues wear red to support the Glow Red campaign for World Aids Day
Gender equality
Female Leadership Initiative (FLI)
FLI is a sponsorship programme that supports female partners in progressing to equity partner roles. Several have advanced to senior positions and all have strengthened their firm-wide connections.
DARE (Daily Action: Real Equality) role model series
These sessions spotlight the experiences of women in law and foster inclusive dialogue across the firm.
Industry collaboration
Our firm belongs to the 30% Club, which aims to see at least 30% of senior decision-makers being women.
Gender pay gap
Since 2023, we have published our annual gender pay gap figures – see our 2024 Gender pay gap report.
Social mobility
Creating pathways from education to employment
Our Social Mobility Committee plays a pivotal role in guiding the development and delivery of ALG’s social mobility strategy and programmes, ensuring people from diverse economic backgrounds can access meaningful routes into education and employment.
Volunteering opportunities with community partners
We promote a wide range of opportunities to get involved in the local community including career guidance with P-TECH, delivering skills workshops with Junior Achievement and mentoring university students via Access programmes.
For more information on our social mobility initiatives, click here to visit our social impact section.
Cultural diversity
Raising awareness
Our Cultural Diversity Committee fosters a deeper understanding and celebration of the many diverse cultures in our firm, collaborating with organisations such as Black and Irish.
Regular events
We host regular panel discussions, language groups and events such as our cultural diversity food festival, with dishes from 13 countries.
Culturally significant days
We honour the diversity in our firm on days such as World Day for Cultural Diversity, International Mother Language Day and International Women’s Day.
Accessibility
Input on new building infrastructure
Our Accessibility Committee worked with our new office project team to ensure our new building meets best practice accessibility standards. This includes automated doors, accessible parking and bathrooms, multi-sensory navigation, assistive tech and much more.
Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities (TCPID)
Over the past decade of our partnership with TCPID, we’ve provided seven work placements, an internship and a permanent position.
UCC Disability Mentoring programme
Supporting students with disabilities to make a successful transition from college to our workplace. As part of our partnership, we guarantee a summer internship placement for one student.
Industry collaboration
We are a proud founding member of the disAbility Legal Network, which promotes equal opportunities in the legal sector.
OneALG: LGBTQ+
Instigating change
Our OneALG Committee advocated and implemented change by introducing gender-neutral language in our legal documents, pronouns in email signatures and a gender identity, expression and transitioning in the workplace policy.
Pro bono support for D&I partners
We provided extensive pro bono legal support to our D&I partners such as BelongTo Youth Services, along with Open Doors, LGBT Ireland, Gay Community News (see our most recent Pro Bono Impact report for more).
Industry collaboration We’re a founding firm of the OUTLaw Network, the legal network for LGBTQ+ legal professionals. Several of our solicitors have co-chaired the network.
ALG helps draft bill to disregard historic offences for gay men
The extent to which gay people were persecuted by the criminalisation of same-sex relationships in the past was recognised in 2025, when new legislation was introduced in the Dáil (Irish parliament) to disregard discriminatory past convictions.
The bill, The Disregard of Historic Offences for Consensual Sexual Activity Between Men Bill 2025, was the culmination of several years of activism and legal work. It stipulated those who had been prosecuted would get an apology and an acknowledgement their human rights had been infringed.
ALG, instructed by the Cork Gay Project, together with Cillian Bracken BL, Céile Varley BL and Clifford Chance London, was involved in drafting the Bill.
“I got involved in the project to try to right the not-so-historic injustices done to gay men in Ireland and give them back some of the dignity they were not afforded by the State. It was an affirming and uplifting experience, and I am so proud to have played even a small role in this historic Bill.”
Síofra Heffernan
ALG's Environmental and Planning group
Wellbeing
Supporting the wellbeing of our people is fundamental to our culture and our commitment to being a responsible business. Over the past three years, we’ve continued to evolve our approach to wellbeing, informed by employee feedback and aligned with our broader responsible business goals.
In 2023, we introduced a wellbeing benefit to subsidise the cost of gym or sporting memberships, classes or lessons, including yoga, Pilates, meditation and so on.
If an employee has a personal or work-related concern that is affecting their wellbeing, they can turn to our employee assistance programme. This is a confidential, free support service.
Employee wellbeing interactive sessions 2022-2024
Mental and emotional health
- let's talk mental health
- breathwork
- children’s sleep and parental wellbeing
- the joy of movement
- cultivating happiness (positive neuroplasticity)
Physical health
- skin cancer awareness
- yoga for a happy back
- gardening
- menopause
- food for thought
Financial health
- getting mortgage-ready
- understanding your payslip and tax
- savings vs investing
Most Popular Graduate Recruiter in Law
gradireland, 2022, 2023 and 2024 (and previous ten years)
Silver Investors in Diversity Mark
2022
One of top 25 best places to work
LinkedIn Top companies in Ireland, 2022
Grad Ireland Diversity and Inclusion Award 2024
Equality Trailblazer: Highly Commended – Chamber Business Awards (2022, 2023) [Belfast]
©2025 A&L Goodbody LLP
All rights reserved