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As there is always safety in numbers, I see good reasons why law firms and chambers should work together across their LGBTQ+ networks to meet and provide informal mentoring. The legal sector wants to change, but the impact of individual law firm LGBTQ+ networks is currently often limited by the relatively small population of LGBTQ+ individuals out in the workplace. The support has been fantastic and his courage is inspiring to us all.
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For a recent example, we need look no further than the positive response to Jake Daniels’ coming out as an openly gay professional footballer. We all have so much to gain from being authentic in our interactions. Being open about your sexuality in the workplace will not change how most people react to you by contrast, you may well find, as I have done, that being yourself only enhances that bond and relationship, to enable you to work together more closely and more effectively. But now in 2022 (certainly in this part of the world), I think you will be genuinely surprised by the overwhelmingly positive reaction. You may be concerned about the reaction you might receive. For us it is, in some ways, a process – we have to come out continually: to our family, to our friends and then to our colleagues and our clients. To finish, I would simply offer this advice: dare to be yourself in the workplace because the clients and colleagues working with you respect you as an individual and will value your advice even more for knowing the real you. It will lead to a positive impact for LGBTQ+ employees but also can be impactful on the culture within the organisation. It is, in any event, essential that all leaders in the legal sector, whatever their sexuality, lead by example as allies, by attending internal ally events and similar events externally, such as InterLaw, for example.
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It also assists to have out LGBTQ+ people in leadership positions and this should continue to be a key focus for the legal sector in the same way as there has been a focus on other diversity groups in leadership roles. Having openly gay law firm partners and senior barristers really helps, as does the creation of LGBTQ+ alliance networks, as it demonstrates that there is support and encouragement to be yourself in the workplace. This may be partly explained by the findings in the InterLaw Diversity Forum’s Career Progression in the Legal Sector Report 2021, which notes that almost 20 per cent of LGB people are not open with anyone at work about their sexual orientation, with that percentage increasing to over 25 per cent for trans people. Indeed, one of my ongoing struggles is building a network of LGBTQ+ contacts within the industry. From my experience, that does not represent the number of lesbian, bisexual and gay lawyers who are out. According to the SRA’s most recent published data, 3.5 per cent of all lawyers identify as lesbian, bisexual and gay, which is more than one in every 30 lawyers. Nevertheless, more positive changes need to be effected. We need and welcome diversity in terms of gender, race, sexuality, nationality, disability and socio-economic background. Law firm culture – and business more generally – is all the better for having a diverse group of people, whichever community we stem from. I like to think that this has now changed. I would go as far as saying that for many in the LGBTQ+ community, there was actually a fear of one’s sexuality coming to light in the office, in case that would stymie career progression. In the early years of my career, there were no openly gay role models to inspire me to come out. My life outside the office is rarely particularly exciting but being able to make small talk at the start of a meeting or in the office kitchen makes a huge difference. I, for one, enjoy the chats in the office when I can share what I did at the weekend with my husband and not be silent about who I live or socialise with.
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I can confidently say that I am a better lawyer and a better colleague for bringing my whole self to work, which includes being open about my sexuality. Being authentic is something that we all value: it is how and why we choose our friends and who we work with, and it is obvious that authenticity is, therefore, something which clients appreciate.