It’s great to see a dedicated area focusing on Pride and LGBT inclusion on the Withers website. The range of Pride stories Withers staff have shared are candid and moving to read. The firm has included a more inclusive version of the LGBT flag with black and brown stripes, which is a really powerful statement. The Black Lives Matter movement in the US and around the globe is a poignant reminder that Pride was and still is a protest to fight for equality and liberation for all who are oppressed. Many of the people who led the uprising at the Stonewall Inn 51 years ago, including black trans women of colour and black lesbians, continue to face systemic inequality and exist on the margins of our community and society. The firm has put together some really helpful LGBT focused articles which are both practical but also reflective on where legal reform is needed to provide for true LGBT equality.

I am an openly gay woman and never wanted to hide who I am. I always thought this would mean I would face challenges pursuing a career in the legal industry, but far from it. Withers celebrates diversity and it is empowering as a junior lawyer to see LGBTQ+ colleagues, particularly those in senior positions, being able to be open about who they are in the workplace. For me, by choosing a firm that welcomes colleagues from all identities and backgrounds, the perceived hurdles I would have to overcome have (thankfully) remained a myth.

I have always been out at work, but in my early career, let’s just say it was very clear that I was not seen as ‘one of the boys’. Attitudes have changed so much in the last 20 years, and I am grateful to have worked in some fantastic firms, who value diversity and an inclusive culture. I am able to be myself at work and it’s great to see those starting out in their careers doing the same.

Our world is a richly diverse place and a successful global law firm must recruit, hire and retain a diverse mix of talent and perspectives to benefit from that innovative potential. I am proud of how Withers has demonstrated its commitment to diversity and inclusivity by hiring, promoting and celebrating diverse people. The Withers community is enhanced by having managers, attorneys, and staff members who not only proudly identify as being LGBTQ+ internally, but who openly serve as leaders and role models in our legal markets.

I was someone who was terrified of being out at work for fear of it affecting my career – probably irrationally, but to the extent I made a conscious decision not to reveal my sexuality until after I had qualified (at a different firm!). I joined Withers as a mid-level associate and have had role models aplenty at every stage of my career here – it is an incredibly open and friendly place, in a very understated way. I can be me.

As a straight ally, I am proud to work in a firm that supports, recognises and values diversity in all its forms. I am happy to see that my LGBTQ+ colleagues do not have to fear to be out at work. Withers promotes an inclusive environment where everyone can be whatever she or he wants to be. Diversity is what makes us stronger and Withers a great place to work.

At Withers, being an out gay man has never been an issue, and there are a number of out members of the firm, myself included, in management roles. It is important to me to work in a diverse, inclusive environment and Withers has more than met my expectations in that regard. I was finally able to marry my husband after the law was changed in New York. At the start of my legal career, I would never have expected my law office to throw me and my husband a wedding party. I was really touched when the firm invited my entire office to celebrate with us at the end of my last working day before the wedding. It is really wonderful to be in such a welcoming environment!