BCLP global inclusion and diversity client relationship partner Daisy Reeves on why the UK can’t rest on its laurels in the fight for inclusion and the role Big Law needs to play in change.
What was your experience like coming out in the professional world and were there any challenges you faced?
Compared to many, I have been very fortunate in my professional ‘coming out’ journey and that is due to the culture at my firm, BCLP, and its people. I am now well into my 40s but came out when I was 18 at university. Like many others, however, I went back in the closet when I joined BCLP – I thought that someone going into City law shouldn’t be ‘different’ and, back then, being gay did indeed seem to be ‘different’ . While I could see that there were maybe one or two gay men in the profession overall, there didn’t seem to be any openly gay women so why ‘other’ myself when I didn’t have to?
I couldn’t have been more wrong. Patrick McCann, who at the time was head of training at BCLP and an LGBTQ+ trailblazer in legal, was always very open about his sexuality and when he found out there was a trainee (me) who had been ‘out’ but gone back in the closet, he said to me, “Honestly, you really can be yourself at BCLP”. And he was right, even back in the early 2000s. This also afforded me the opportunity to be involved in management discussions at a time when there were just the green shoots of organisations talking about diversity, so I got access to senior leaders that I perhaps wouldn’t have otherwise.
Myself, and a few other LGBTQ+ lawyers in the City, recognised that we had been given a workplace privilege to be ‘out’ which is not afforded to all. So we put our heads together and figured out what we could do to help with visibility in law. There’s the old adage, ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’, so we stood up to be seen, working with Stonewall and other organisations on various entry-level schemes run by, and involving, LGBTQ+ lawyers, which we know brought a lot of LGBTQ+ people into and ‘out’ in the sector.
Big Law, is recognised for the most part as an inclusive profession for LGBTQ+ individuals in a way that it wasn’t a couple of decades ago. There is still far more to do and challenges but there has certainly been movement!
So you don’t feel that your career progression or prospects were affected by coming out and being open about your sexuality?
Correct. In fact, the experience has been overwhelmingly positive and given me access to a great global network of LGBTQ+ thought leaders, so that we can work together to try to make a difference.
I do think that large law firms can see that involving those from minority groups is both the right thing to do and a business imperative – it allows for a diversity of thought and is reflective of our respective client bases.
I also think that if you get to a particular level of seniority within your law firm, there is a responsibility to be visible (if it’s safe of course) as, for the most part, gender identity and sexuality is invisible as a minority status so, in order to show LGBTQ+ people that they can succeed, you need to put your own hand up and say, “This is me and it’s ok to be you”.
How have you used your role as global inclusion and diversity client relationship partner at BCLP to further LGBTQ+ discussions?
As far as we know, BCLP is the only law firm that has this role – a partner who is fully dedicated, pro bono, to working with clients to share best practice and next practice in DEI to really try to shift the metaphorical dial which, let’s face it, still needs WD40. Only by organisations and communities working together, and not in silos, can we succeed. My unique role gives the opportunity to do just that – discuss, and act on, methods to drive inclusion to make a tangible change. This works across all strands of DEI but, as it’s Pride month, this has been a key focus and I am just back from a week in New York planning with other LGBTQ+ changemakers how we can work together to address some of the backlash facing our global LGBTQ+ community. This is not about a one-off celebration, but to make sustainable progress.
What is the biggest challenge facing the LGBTQ+ community in City Law?
Sadly, my answer is not specific to City Law, it applies to all LGBTQ+ populations, cross-sector. There is a real risk that we are retrenching the hard-fought rights of our LGBTQ+ populations. We cannot rest on our laurels. For example, the UK has slipped from being one of the most LGBTQ+-inclusive countries in the world (number 1 in 2014) to only just making the top 20 in 2023. There are over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills proposed so far this year in the US. Both of these countries were leading LGBTQ+ proponents until very recently and it’s surprising how quickly things can change if we do not continue to actively defend minority populations. Organisations, including law firms, need to be visible in their support of LGBTQ+ populations, in particular, for our trans and non-binary siblings.
What do you think law firms can do better to include people in the LGBTQ+ community and what are the best approaches to take?
Firstly, senior LGBTQ+ leaders should be visible. Secondly, allies are absolutely key. The LGBTQ+ community is a minority, invisible population. So, with any minority movement there has to be the support of the majority, and the majority is cisgender straight people. When those people are saying “I support you”, it’s a clear sign that the industry is open and welcoming to LGBTQ+ individuals – the visible supporting the invisible. People ask, “why do you need a flag?” Visibility is why – the rainbow may seem inconsequential to some but to someone looking to be included it is such a strong symbol – it says so much to so many and, to some (and I am not exaggerating when I say this), it can be a lifeline.
As we are talking about the wider legal industry, those in Big Law that have the size and resource to concentrate on LGBTQ+ inclusion, also need to act as allies to those smaller regional practices which are keen to learn best practice. As BCLP and some of our peers have done, the larger firms need to continue to assist and mentor those smaller law firms so that their own LGBTQ+ populations and communities can be supported and celebrated in being their authentic selves.
