James Carroll is managing partner of Russell-Cooke and a family lawyer. As part of LB’s Pride Month coverage, he discusses his role as an openly gay managing partner, his experience being out in the legal profession, and why Russell-Cooke is more than just a ‘woke’ firm
I felt very comfortable being authentically myself very early on in my career. It never felt like a risk. I think I was the only ‘out’ person at law school. I now know there were other gay people there because they’ve since come out, but only many years later. This is perhaps because they qualified in the City which was different back then. For me, a family lawyer, who trained at Anthony Gold, which had a couple of openly gay partners, things were different. I realised I could not only be comfortable being out, but my sexuality could also be a benefit: I could be invited to events, engage with a community, and actually play my role in some of the legal change that was much needed.
