Survey says legal sector makes good progress on LGBT+ equality

A survey conducted by the Law Society of England and Wales has found significant progress when it comes to equality in the profession for LGBT+ lawyers, but it adds more needs to be done.

“In the last decade, there has been a sea-change in the attitudes to LGBT+ equality and visibility in the profession with a higher proportion of respondents reporting positive, rather than negative experiences in the workplace, as a result of their LGBT+ identity,” said Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce.

“The majority of respondents said they were able to be their authentic selves, working in organisations with inclusive cultures, alongside support from colleagues and senior staff.

“We spoke to both LGBT+ and non-LGBT+ respondents, who consider themselves allies in their workplace, to gain more insight into our profession and to get a greater understanding of the experiences of LGBT+ lawyers.”

Experiences in the workplace tended to be positive, rather than negative, with 97 per cent of LGBT+ respondents felt able to be themselves in their workplace.

However, 52 per cent of LGBT+ respondents said a pressing issue is a lack of LGBT+ role models at workplaces. This issue was found in private practice (17 per cent), in-house (20 per cent) and for local or national government (19 per cent).

Workplace issues

Coming out to clients was a pressing issue for 42 per cent of respondents and microaggressions were reported by 34 per cent of respondents, while 53 per cent of bisexual respondents said microaggressions are a pressing issue, compared to 35 per cent of lesbian/gay women and 26 per cent of gay men.

Then there were a higher proportion of respondents who reported a visible commitment by senior managers to lesbian, gay and bisexual equality than to supporting trans staff.

I. Stephanie Boyce added: “Our research gives much-needed insight into the experiences of our LGBT+ colleagues – including experiences of coming out, microaggressions and the disclosure decisions our members must make at work in order to feel fully themselves.

“However, there is still work to be done. Three out of six trans individuals reported senior management support for trans equality, and 14 out of 23 pansexual, polysexual and queer respondents had senior managers who supported trans equality.

“Homophobia, biphobia and transphobia often went unreported, with a lack in confidence that the issue would be resolved effectively or that these behaviours were not serious enough to report.

“A lack of visible LGBT+ role models is also a pressing issue. Visible role models can help create a sense of belonging, as well as inspiring and motivating us to reach our goals, showing us what’s possible, enabling us to share and learn from their challenges and successes.

“This research comes at a pivotal time, as the profession looks to return to the office via flexible or hybrid working models and we begin to take strides to get back to ‘normal’ after the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.”