Our LGBT+ Network continues our celebration of Black History Month by exploring the intersection of race & ethnicity with LGBT+. 

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Joining us are top legal professionals and activists from the UK, the US and Africa who will share their career paths, experiences and insights. 

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We will also be exploring this topic from a global perspective, as members of the LGBT+ community in many parts of the world are at risk just for being themselves. 

Panelists:

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Savannah Adeniyan

Trainee Solicitor

Clifford Chance

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Aderonke Apata

Founder

African Rainbow Family

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Sheldon Mills

Director of Competition, Financial Conduct Authority

Chair, Stonewall

Co-lead of Race & Ethnicity (BAME) Network, InterLaw Diversity Forum

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Fitzann Reid

Senior Counsel, Division of Enforcement

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

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Daniel Winterfeldt QC (Hon)

Partner, Reed Smith

Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum

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Thanks to our virtual host, Weil, for supporting this webinar.

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COVID-19 has impacted everyone across the globe, but we have seen that it is not impacting everyone in the same way.  We know from EU studies that the LGBT+ community has been impacted in greater ways, both economically and around physical and mental wellbeing.  Their study has also shown that the trans and non-binary community have suffered even more negative effects.  We have also seen the roll back (or threatened roll back) of legal rights and protections for trans and non-binary people in the UK, Europe and across the globe.  This whole situation is unfolding against a backdrop of discriminatory views and negative attacks in the UK press and on social media.

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Please join us for a special event from the InterLaw Diversity Forum in collaboration with our partners at Global Butterflies, the leading experts on trans and non-binary issues in the workplace.  We have assembled a panel of trans and non-binary talent from the legal sector and the world of business. 

We will be discussing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the trans & non-binary community and its impact on Pride season.  We will also explore the importance of allies (from inside and outside the LGBT+ community) and what steps they can take to support, especially in the face of possible negative UK law changes.

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Speakers

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• Emma Cusdin (She/Her), Director, Global Butterflies; People Director, Avia (Former) 

• Theresa Farrenson (They/Them), Customer Experience and Integration Lead, Aon

• Rachel Reese (She/Her), CEO, Global Butterflies 

• Luke Williamson (He/him), Law Lecturer and Solicitor, BPP 

• Daniel Winterfeldt (He/Him), Founder & Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum; Partner, Reed Smith

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Thanks to our virtual host the SRA for supporting this webinar.

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We have made tremendous progress on LGBT+ equality in the legal sector since we started the InterLaw Diversity Forum in 2008.  Since then we have seen a proliferation of activity from law firms and legal employers, from improvements in policy and monitoring to the launching of networks and ally programmes. Despite this, our research shows there still remain firm barriers in place to the advancement of LGBT+ talent to top levels of the legal profession and across the world of business. There is also a danger in our current climate of the COVID-19 pandemic that we could stall or move backwards on the progress that we have made. 

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Please join us as we speak with a panel of LGBT+ high-flyers in the legal sector to discuss their career paths, including successes and challenges, as well as their views on what we can do to better support LGBT+ talent progression to the top levels of the profession.  We will also discuss potential barriers for LGBT+ career progression and how organisations can work to remove them. 

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Speakers:

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• Clare Fielding, Founding Partner, Town Legal

• Ike Osaki, General Counsel EMEA, Bank of America

• Emily Smith-Reid, Deputy General Counsel, HSBC

• Dan Robertson, Director, Vercida Consulting (Co-moderator)

• Daniel Winterfeldt, Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum; Partner, Reed Smith (Co-moderator) 

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Thanks to our virtual host Freshfields for supporting this webinar.

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Join us for an inspiring evening with counsellor, actress, and activist Olivette Cole-Wilson; and writer, sexual health expert, and activist Lisa Power MBE – two pioneering LGBT+ women who have blazed trails for equality, including as co-founders of Stonewall, the UK’s largest LGBT+ charity. Olivette and Lisa will share with us highlights from their journeys and their various careers and work as activists. 

Olivette and Lisa were there from the start of Stonewall when its founding was a catalyst for a dramatic shift in the advancement of LGBT+ rights in the United Kingdom. They will share with us the history and origins of Stonewall and the evolution of LGBT+ rights over the past 30 years. 

We also explored where we are today and where we are going with respect to LGBT+ equality, including discussing the current challenges for trans and non-binary members of our community, as well as the how can support our BAME brothers and sisters inside and outside of our community. 

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The discussion will be co-moderated by Daniel Winterfeldt and Laura Durrant, Chair and Deputy Chair of the InterLaw Diversity Forum.

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Thanks to our virtual host Davis Woolfe for supporting this webinar.

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For this meeting of our LGBT+ Network we will be bringing together a panel of LGBT+ women who are making their mark in the legal profession to explore “Intersectionality: LGBT+ & Gender”. We will explore their career paths, how they have overcome obstacles along the way, and discuss how the current COVID-19 pandemic is impacting their world. 

Speakers:

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Saeeda Rousselet-Yasmin
Legal Counsel
NatWest

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Dee Tamlin
Head of Client and Legal Project Management
Pinsent Masons LLP

Laura Durrant (Co-moderator)
Deputy Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum
Consulting Director, Howlett Brown

Daniel Winterfeldt QC (Hon) (Co-moderator)
Founder & Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum
Partner, Global Capital Markets, Reed Smith

Thank you to our virtual host Fried Frank for supporting this webinar.

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Please join us on Wednesday, 19 February 2020 for one of the most popular monthly meetings of our LGBT+ Network, where we will be discussing Stonewall's 2021 Workplace Equality Index ("WEI"). Representatives from 2020's high performers in the legal sector will be on hand to share best practice and provide guidance on how your organisation can do better on next year's WEI.

Applications for the 2021 WEI are due in September, so now is the time to start preparing!

We will also unveil the latest edition of the "Top 25 from the Legal Sector"for the WEI, co-branded with Stonewall and the InterLaw Diversity Forum. The InterLaw Diversity Forum collaborated with Stonewall ten years ago to innovate this first sector-specific list in the WEI (then called the "Top Ten in the Legal Sector"). This was intended to recognize those who might not appear in the Top 100 list, and to encourage greater participation in the WEI. Because of its success, it has been replicated by Stonewall for other sectors, as well. 

Stonewall's Workplace Equality Index is the definitive national benchmarking exercise showcasing Britain’s top employers for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender staff. 

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Since the InterLaw Diversity Forum's founding in 2008, we have seen the number of legal employers in the Top 100 grow from zero to sixteen, and have seen the legal sector's rating rise from second from the bottom to ranking first on the list for several years.

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This improvement has been driven by our annual meetings, by intensive behind-the-scenes InterLaw assistance to legal employers in prepraring WEI submissions, by our co-branded sector list with Stonewall, and by InterLaw's previously published Guides to the WEI for the Legal Sector.

(See our 2019 WEI Guide HERE).

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The InterLaw Diversity Forum has expanded beyond the legal sector and now assists corporates and financial institutions in preparing their WEI submissions. 

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Stonewall has stated: “A major part of the movement forward for the [legal] sector has been the InterLaw Diversity Forum. It helped provide a sector-specific focus."

Speakers include:

• Zainab Al-Farabi, Client Account Manager – Legal, Stonewall

• Tajah Hamilton, Client Account Manager – Legal, Stonewall

• Sian Hughes, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Solicitors Regulation Authority

• Zoe Johannes, Assistant Solicitor at Leigh Day

• Sian Owles, Partner, Hogan Lovells

• Aseia Rafique, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Solicitors Regulation Authority

• Daniel Winterfeldt, Parter, Reed Smith; Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum

Thanks to Hogan Lovells for generously hosting this event.

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The InterLaw Diversity Forum’s LGBT+ Network annual meeting commemorating World AIDS Day.

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We were joined by Chamut Abebe Kifetew of the Terrence Higgins Trust (“THT”), who will provide us with an update on the current state of HIV/AIDS in the UK and beyond. 

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Chamut Abebe Kifetew manages the national HIV prevention programme co-ordinated by Terrence Higgins Trust. She is responsible for managing the local activation of national campaigns including National HIV Testing Week and It Starts With Me , and supporting the national HIV sector in adopting innovative and evidence-based practice through training events and communications. She has worked locally and internationally in the specialty of sexual health, maternal and child health, and women’s health. She also has an academic background in MSc Health Economics/Health Policy and BSc Health Sciences (Public Health).

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The THT is the UK’s leading HIV and AIDS charity, and the largest in Europe. The THT campaigns on and provides services relating to HIV and sexual health. In particular, the THT aims to end the transmission of HIV in the UK; to support and empower people living with HIV; to eradicate stigma and discrimination around HIV; and to promote good sexual health (including safe sex). The THT is is also the lead organisation for Public Health England’s HIV prevention partnership HIV Prevention England.

Sara Salehian of the THT provided us with information on how to commemorate World AIDS Day on December 1st at your organization and raise funds to support the vital work of the THT.

We raised £400 on the night to support the work of the THT.

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Thanks to RPC for generously hosting this event!

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Please join us for a very special meeting of the InterLaw Diversity Forum’s LGBT+ Network celebrating Black History Month by looking at the intersection of LGBT+ with  Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME).

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We will be speaking with a panel of BAME and LGBT+ professionals who will discuss their challenges and triumphs with us, as well as observations on how we can be better allies to our intersectional colleagues.

• Rob Berkley MBE, Founder and Managing Editor at BlkOutUK.com

Award-winning busybody, recovering academic and reforming social reformer, Rob is currently developing BlackOutUK, a community owned media asset for and by black gay men. He recently completed a stint advising the BBC on accountability and audience engagement. Impatient with injustice and exasperated by wasted potential, he volunteers on the boards of Baring Foundation, and Doc Society, has previously served on the boards of LGBT rights charity Stonewall, the Equality and Diversity Forum, and been Chair of Naz Project (NPL). He was Director of the racial justice think-tank Runnymede Trust 2009-14. Alongside his academic writing on education, social justice and community organizing, a recently appointed Simon Industrial Fellow at the University of Manchester, he has lectured across the UK and beyond, and written for The Guardian and The Independent on social justice and movement-building. His current fixation on forms of collaborative ownership, innovations in media technology and their potential for social justice means that he spends a lot of time on his phone and calls it ‘research’. Dr Berkeley was awarded an MBE in 2015 for services to equality. 

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• Yetunde Dania, Partner, Trowers & Hamlins, Real Estate Litigation Partner

Yetunde is a partner in the Trowers & Hamlins' Property Litigation team. She specialises in residential landlord and tenant litigation and issues on behalf of landlords in the social housing sector. 

She joined Trowers & Hamlins' in 2011 to help set up their Birmingham office. 

Yetunde read Law at Leicester Polytechnic, before going onto to study for a LLM in Human Rights & Civil Liberties at Leicester University before studying the Legal Practice Course in its first year at De Montfort University. Yetunde qualified as a solicitor in 1996 and made partner in 2005. 

Yetunde takes a special interest in mentoring and encouraging young people to achieve their full potential having benefited from people taking the time to mentor and support her from a young age. Yetunde's personal mantra is to "live life to the fullest" and "Believe that you can achieve anything you put your mind to”.

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• Krishna Omkar, Senior Associate, King & Spalding

Krishna Omkar practises in international mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and capital markets transactions at King & Spalding. He is actively involved in the intersection of business and equality, served as pro bono counsel in the decriminalisation of same sex relations in India, and was invited by the UN Under Secretary General to host the UN’s consultation on LGBTQI rights this year. Krishna has been named a Future Leader by the Financial Times, and received a 2019 Asian Achievers Award.

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• Daniel Winterfeldt, Partner, Reed Smith; Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum (Moderator)

Daniel is a partner in Reed Smith’s Global Capital Markets practice. 

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Daniel founded the Forum for US Securities Lawyers in London in 2006 to address US securities issues in the London market across law firms, banks and intermediaries. The Forum was short-listed by the British Legal Awards in 2009 for ‘Law Firm Innovation’. The Forum was 'Highly Commended" by the FT Innovative Lawyers Awards in 2016 in the category ‘Innovation in Navigating Regulation’.

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Daniel is also the founder and chair of the InterLaw Diversity Forum, which seeks to promote meritocracy and inclusion for diverse groups in the legal sector. The InterLaw Diversity Forum currently has more than 6000 members from over 300 law firms and 500 corporates and financial institutions. Since its founding in 2008, the InterLaw Diversity Forum has expanded its scope to encompass all strands of diversity and inclusion (including social mobility), with a particular focus on cultural change in the workplace and 'multiple identities'/intersectionality. The InterLaw Diversity Forum was "Highly Commended" by the FT Innovative Lawyers Awards in 2016 for 'Innovation in Human Resources". 

Daniel was named the "Legal Innovator of the Year" at the FT Innovative Lawyers Awards in 2012 for his work in capital markets and diversity and inclusion. 

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Daniel was a member of the Equality & Diversity Committee at the Law Society of England & Wales for six years and is a member of the Judicial Diversity Forum organised by the Judicial Appointments Commission.

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Daniel was admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States in 2013.

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Thanks to Gowling WLG for generously hosting this event!

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The InterLaw Diversity Forum's Purple Reign Podcast was launched at the House Commons this past week, hosted by our patron, Helen Grant MP, co-architect of the Equal Marriage Act. The launch featured a keynote from trailblazing law professor and trans activist, Professor Stephen Whittle with an introduction from our Founder & Chair Daniel Winterfeldt.

The Purple Reign Project is a multi-media initiative of the InterLaw Diversity Forum which uses photography, film, biographies, and podcasts to capture the images, ideas, and stories of inspiring LGBT+ and ally role models drawn from the fields of law, business, activism, the arts, government and sports. ​

The Purple Reign Podcast will interviews and discussions with inspiring LGBT+ and ally role models, approached through an intersectional lens.

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Subscribe and download from iTunes.

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Please join the InterLaw Diversity Forum for a very special evening with Jide Macaulay, the founder and CEO of House of Rainbow, which seeks to be a welcoming ministry for LGBT+ people. Macaulay will discuss the persisting stigma against LGBT+ members in faith communities, especially in various African countries, and his personal inspiration for getting involved in this cause.

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Speakers:

• Reverened Jide Macaulay, Founder & CEO, House of Rainbow

• Daniel Winterfeldt, Partner, Reed Smith; Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum (Moderator)

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Thanks to Shearman & Sterling for generously hosting this event!

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In July 2012, the InterLaw Diversity Forum, with support from The Law Society and the Bar Council, surveyed almost 2,000 respondents from all strands of diversity and inclusion in the UK legal sector. From this data it published its ground-breaking report Career Progression in the Legal Sector, with a preface from Baroness Patricia Scotland PC QC. The report combined hard data with respondents’ perceptions of their own career progression, as well as their perception of the fairness and transparency of policies and practices in their workplaces. 

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The goal of the report was to identify the barriers facing these diverse groups and to provide recommendations to address and ultimately solve these issues. The report told us that lawyers from protected classes under the Equalities Act and from disadvantaged backgrounds were working harder and earning less than their straight, white, elite-educated male counterparts. In fact, the more “boxes” they ticked (i.e., intersectionality/multiple identities) with regards to diversity and social mobility, the more pronounced this disadvantage became. We recommended in this report that law firms needed to change their cultures to become more meritocratic by: (i) adopting targets; (ii) changing culture; (iii) training their leaders; and (iv) addressing social mobility.

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Since publishing this report we have shifted our focus at the InterLaw Diversity Forum towards intersectionality and widened our scope beyond LGBT+ to encompass all strands of diversity and inclusion. We are updating this research and publishing a new report this year.

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Please join us on Wednesday, 15 May at Cooley for a very special meeting of our LGBT+ Network in collaboration with our Gender Equality Initiative (a partnership with The Law Society) where we will examine the intersection of gender and LGBT+. Our panel will feature LGBT+ women as well as their allies to compare and contrast their experiences in the legal profession. What can we learn from the crossroads of gender and sexual orientation? How can we be better allies to support them? 

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Speakers:

• Rhiannon Paine, Associate, Milbank

• Emily Smith-Reid, Deputy General Counsel, HSBC 

• Jenny Tellyn, Head of Knowledge Management, Stephenson Harwood 

• Daniel Winterfeldt, Global Capital Markets Partner, Reed Smith; Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum (Moderator)

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Thanks to Cooley for generously hosting this event!

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A key factor in the success of a diverse attorney is the support they receive from allies, mentors, and sponsors.  Members of the LGBT+ legal community also must learn how to support other parts of our community who may be less visible or who may face greater challenges.

One question that comes up often within the LGBT+ and ally legal community: What can we all do to support our trans* colleagues? 

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We have assembled a panel of inspiring and leading lights in the trans* legal and professional communities to hear about their journeys to success and to explore where we are in our journey towards trans* equality, including what challenges may be in place in the workplace.  We will also explore what you can do to support your trans* colleagues as allies in your organisation. 

Speakers:

• Leng Montgomery, Diversity & Inclusion Manager, UK,  Cushman & Wakefield

• Emma Niit, Senior Associate, Allen & Overy 

• Alex Vowinckel, Senior Associate, CMS

• Rachel Reese, Director, Global Butterflies; Co-Lead, Trans*mission, InterLaw Diversity Forum 

• Daniel Winterfeldt, Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum; Co-lead, Trans*mission, InterLaw Diversity Forum (Moderator)

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Thanks to Allen & Overy for generously hosting this event!

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Please join us on Wednesday, 20 February 2019 for one of the most popular monthly meetings of our LGBT+ Network, where we will be discussing Stonewall's 2020 Workplace Equality Index ("WEI"). Representatives from this year's high performers in the legal sector will be on hand to share best practice and provide guidance on how your organization can do better on next year's WEI. Applications for the 2020 WEI are due in September, so now is the time to start preparing!

We will also unveil the latest edition of the "Top 25 from the Legal Sector"for the WEI, co-branded with Stonewall and the InterLaw Diversity Forum. The InterLaw Diversity Forum collaborated with Stonewall in 2010 to innovate this first sector-specific list in the WEI (then called the "Top Ten in the Legal Sector"). This was intended to recognize those who might not appear in the Top 100 list, and to encourage greater participation in the WEI. Because of its success, it has been replicated by Stonewall for other sectors, as well. 

Stonewall's Workplace Equality Index is the definitive national benchmarking exercise showcasing Britain’s top employers for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender staff. 

​

Since the InterLaw Diversity Forum's founding in 2008, we have seen the number of legal employers in the Top 100 grow from zero to sixteen, and have seen the legal sector's rating rise from second from the bottom to ranking first on the list for several years. This improvement has been driven by our annual meetings, by intensive behind-the-scenes InterLaw assistance to legal employers in prepraring WEI submissions, by our co-branded sector list with Stonewall, and by InterLaw's previously published Guides to the WEI for the Legal Sector.

​

(See our 2019 WEI Guide HERE).

​

The InterLaw Diversity Forum has expanded beyond the legal sector and now assists corporates and financial institutions in preparing their WEI submissions. 

​

Stonewall has stated: “A major part of the movement forward for the [legal] sector has been the InterLaw Diversity Forum. It helped provide a sector-specific focus."

Speakers: 

• Charlotte Suttle, Stonewall

• Reg Kheraj, Stonewall 

• Liam Wardley, Head of Purpose Transformation, Pinsent Masons

• Justine Thompson, Head of Diversity and Inclusivity,Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner

• Daniel Winterfeldt, Partner, Reed Smith; Founder/Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum (Moderator)

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Thanks to Pinsent Masons for generously hosting this event!

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As part of our Gender Equality Initiative with the Law Society, we invite you to join us on Wednesday, 21 November at Addleshaw Goddard for a very special monthly meeting of our LGBT+ Network where we will host an in-depth conversation with Inga Beale. 

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We will explore Inga's five-year tenure as CEO of Lloyd's of London, and the wide-ranging impact of her initiatives on innovation, modernisation, and diversity & inclusion. Her programmes have had a global impact on the insurance sector, and her authentic leadership has blazed trails for female CEOs, as well has raised LGBT+ and Bi-visibility in the C-suite.

Since the founding of the InterLaw Diversity Forum over 10 years ago, legal employers have made significant progress on making workplaces more accommodating to gay and lesbian staff. A lack of understanding and knowledge of bisexuality, however, has often resulted in bisexual people remaining largely invisible.

Research by Stonewall has found that bisexual staff felt that low levels of awareness about bisexuality put bisexual people under pressure from their colleagues. Stonewall also found that bisexual staff are felt they are subjected to assumptions that they may find demeaning or inappropriate. We will explore how we can raise bi-visibility, as well as how members of the LGBT+ community and others can be better allies supporting our bi colleagues.

We will also be exploring some exclusive preliminary findings on bisexual members of the legal community from our InterLaw Diversity Forum: Career Progression in the Legal Sector 2018 report coming later this year. Check out our ground-breaking InterLaw Diversity Forum: Career Progression in the Legal Sector 2012 here.

Speakers:

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Inga Beale, CEO, Lloyd's

Daniel Winterfeldt, Global Capital Markets Partner, Reed Smith; Founder & Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum (moderator)

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Thanks to Addeleshaw Goddard for generously hosting this event!

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In partnership with Stonewall, the InterLaw Diversity Forum will be running a panel event on the topic of Global LGBT+ Best Practice & Engagement.

Addressing LGBT+ equality within global law firms and legal employers can prove challenging for a wide range of reasons, including challenges navigating local legal regimes and culture, addressing potential isolation of LGBT+ staff, and implementing monitoring on a global scale.The aim of the event is to showcase best practice and share ideas on how law firms can engage on a global level when progressing LGBT+ inclusion. Stonewall and a range of multinational businesses, both law firms and other organisations, will share their insights and best practice case studies followed by a panel discussion.

The topics that will be covered are:

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• A brief overview of Stonewall’s Global Diversity Champions programme and the Global Workplace Equality Index

• The importance of understanding the local context for LGBT+ people

• Global mobility for LGBT+ staff 

• Global monitoring / LGBT+ data collection

Speakers:

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• Harry Small, Parter, Baker McKenzie

• Adam Nuhi, Global Markets Lead, Freshfields

• Leanne MacMillan, Director of International Campaigns, Stonewall

• Lynn Pasterny, Global Workplace Programmes Manager, Stonewall 

• Marjorie Strachan, Head of Inclusion, RBS

• Daniel Winterfeldt, Partner, Reed Smith; Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum (Moderator)

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Thanks to Freshfields for generously hosting this event!

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Our LGBT+ Network met on Wednesday 17 October at Kingsley Napley to talk about "LGBT+ Women at the Top (and How to Get There)” – an evening to celebrate senior LGBT+ women in the legal profession.

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Two thirds of LGBT+ women have experienced discrimination in the workplace according to research conducted by the British LGBT Awards after interviewing 1,200 LGBT+ women in the UK to analyse their experiences at work. 64 per cent said that they had experienced some kind of negative treatment including sexual discrimination, inappropriate language, lack of opportunity, or bullying at work.

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73 per cent of the women who took part were not fully out to colleagues and 86 per cent said there is a need for more visible LGBT+ women in senior professional roles to help boost visibility and provide role models for other women.

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The legal profession is not immune to these challenges. We assembled a panel of leading LGBT+ women in the profession to celebrate their success and share tools for other women to reach the top. We also discussed how legal employers can better unlock the talent of LGBT+ women.

Speakers:

• Melinka Berridge, Partner, Kingsley Napley ​ 

• Emma Niit, Senior Associate, Allen & Overy

• ​Brie Stevens-Hoare QC, Barrister, Hardwicke Chambers

• Daniel Winterfeldt, Global Capital Markets Partner, Reed Smith; Founder & Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum (moderator)

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Thanks to Kingsley Napley for generously hosting this event!

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On Wednesday, 19 September at Allen & Overy we had a very special monthly meeting of our LGBT+ Network exploring the latest in legal developments around adoption, surrogacy, marriage, and divorce.

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Marriage equality and developments in family law are changing the landscape for LGBT+ families, but where do we stand today and what advancements are still needed? We have gathered a panel of global experts on these issues for presentation and a panel discussion. 

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Our expert panel included:

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• Jemma Dally, Partner - Adoption, Surrogacy and International Children, Goodman Ray

Jemma specialises in and has extensive experience of complex international adoption and surrogacy cases as well as being highly regarded for her expertise and growing practice in cases involving children who are conceived by way of artificial insemination under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008. Jemma is known for her creativity in her area of expertise and the cases in which she has acted have been described as “cutting edge law".

• Molly O’Brien, Attorney

Molly is the founder of Law Offices of Molly O’Brien and has worked in the field of Assisted Reproduction since 2005. In that time, she worked for an Egg Donation Agency and a Surrogacy Agency where she became familiar with all aspects of In-Vitro Fertilization and Egg Donation, including the financial aspects of surrogacy. Since becoming an attorney in 2011, she has gained extensive experience in drafting and negotiating Surrogacy Contracts, Egg Donation and Sperm Donation Contracts, and Embryo Donation Contracts on behalf of her clients throughout the world.

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• Dr. Susanna Park, San Diego Fertility Center

Dr. Susanna Jung-A Park is a fertility doctor double board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Dr. Park spent the first 10 years of her career as a fertility physician at Columbia University in New York City, considered to be one of the leading IVF programs in the USA.  Dr. Park was awarded the Resident Research Award by her residency program for three consecutive years, received the Resident Research Award by the New York Obstetrical Society, and was recognized with the Organon Resident Research Award for Outstanding Research in Women's Health. Dr. Park was the recipient of five years of grant funding by ACOG/Solvay Pharmaceuticals Research Award in Menopause and Pfizer/Society for Women's Health Research Scholars Grant for her research, the results of which she presented at various research meetings and published in peer-reviewed journals.  She joined the San Diego Fertility Center in 2012 where she combines her extensive experience as an infertility physician with personal care. In 2017, Dr. Park was named "Top Doctor" by the San Diego County Medical Society (SDCMS) in San Diego Magazine.

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• Richard Westoby, LGBT+ Parent

Richard is the author of “One Couple’s Guide to US Surrogacy”, a fascinating personal story that describes from start to finish the journey of a couple based in the U.K. undertaking IVF and surrogacy in the U.S., and a Senior Consultant at the San Diego Fertility Center. Richard and his partner Steven undertook surrogacy in the United States and learned everything about the process while doing so. Since their twins were born, Richard has become an advocate helping prospective parents (both gay and straight) learn more about surrogacy and to help them make informed decisions.

• Daniel Winterfeldt, Partner, Reed Smith; Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum (moderator)

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Thanks to Allen & Overy for generously hosting this event!

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Social mobility is an ever-present challenge that affects all groups and one which is especially difficult to tackle in the United Kingdom.

According to the findings of our ground-breaking 2012 report Career Progression in the Legal Sector, it is still the case that lawyers are drawn very disproportionately from those who attended fee-paying schools and/or Russell Group institutions of higher education. This is a complicated area, closely linked to developments in education, society at large, and government policy. 

The legal sector appears to value and reward an elite education to a surprisingly disproportionate degree. If we look at the entirety of the legal sector, we can see that the workforce as a whole is in fact drawn from a fairly wide pool. But the positions of power and prestige in the legal sector remain disproportionately in the hands of those who attended Oxford or Cambridge universities. This bias in promotion and advancement overlooks a huge pool of talent, and this is talent the profession can ill afford to miss out on as the global environment becomes ever more competitive. Social mobility is an issue that affects all groups, but also strongly intersects with race and ethnicity as racial and ethnic minority Britons are more likely than white Britons to attend new universities.

Some of our recommendations from 2012 still ring true today. Employers need to think hard about how to broaden their recruitment pool to ensure that talent is not overlooked simply because it is not sitting in the obvious places. Promotion and advancement policies and practices must be reviewed to ensure that they are inclusive so that they can better recognize and reward talent and accomplishment, and drive improvement.

Please join us for an in-depth discussion with experts on how we as individuals and as employers can tackle the social mobility issue and push for a better legal profession. 


Speakers:
 

• Rob Powell, Head of Pro Bono and CSR, Weil Gotshal 

• Julia Stephenson, Senior Legal Advisor, ITV Commercial & Marketing Legal Affairs

• Sabien Khan, Senior Legal Counsel, Wellcome Trust

• Daniel Winterfeldt, Founder & Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum (Moderator)

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Thanks to Shearman & Sterling for generously hosting this event!

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We know from our research that diverse members of the legal profession face increased challenges at all stages of their careers. A key factor in the success of a diverse attorney is the support they receive from allies, mentors, and sponsors. 

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One question that comes up often is: What can we all do to support our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans* colleagues? We are putting together a panel of allies who can tell you about the work they and their organisations do to support their LGBT+ colleagues and other LGBT+ professionals in the legal profession. 

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It’s also important to remember that we also have the power as part of the LGBT+ legal community to support other parts of our community who may be less visible or sometimes marginalised. 

Speakers:

• Matt Elliot, People Director, Virgin Money

• Suli Hampson, Strategic Programmes Director - Credit Operations, Lloyds Banking Group

• Daniel Winterfeldt, Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum (moderator)

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Thanks to Slaughter and May for generously hosting this event!

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On Thursday, June 7th we organised an outing to the five-star Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, hosted by the amazingly talented co-creator Dan Gillespie Sells (of the Feeling) and BBC journalist Jane Hill. The outing included a pre-show reception with the hosts, and a post-show Q&A with show composer Dan Gillespie Sells and the cast.

This event was to benefit Diversity Role Models and raised over £1100 to support their amazing work tackling homophobic bullying by embedding inclusion and empathy in the next generation using an LGBT lens.​

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One of the basic building blocks for a successful diversity and inclusion programme is an employee network or resource group. They provide a space for diverse talent from a particular group or with shared life experiences to come together to network, to support each other, and to support the wider business, including through supporting diverse clients or providing feedback on diverse talent’s experiences. When successful, they can be the engines for progress for a particular group within your organization.

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We know that network groups run in cycles from launch, to flourish, to fade away. Where is your organisation’s LGBT+ Network in this life cycle? 

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What are the key ingredients for the success of top LGBT+ network groups? What can you do to launch, improve, or revitalize your organisation’s LGBT+ network? 

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We have assembled a panel of movers and shakers in this arena for an interactive session exploring best practice, tips, and tricks to the secrets to success!

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Speakers:

• Andy Rose, Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, JP Morgan

• Dee Sekar, Deputy Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum; Corporate Responsibility Manager, Gowling WLG

• Daniel Winterfeldt, Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum; Partner, Reed Smith (Moderator)

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Thanks to Morgan, Lewis & Bockius for generously hosting this event!

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The InterLaw Diversity Forum launched its Trans Initiative in 2013 in the first City event focused on trans professionals in collaboration with Lloyds Banking Group and others.

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We also created a Purple Reign event in 2015 unveiling photographs including over 25 trans individuals with a keynote address from Mia Yamamoto followed by several panels of trans leaders and future leaders. This event was attended by almost 200 people as the official closing event of Pride in London. 

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We are now proud to be collaborating with the inspiring Rachel Reese, Founder of Global Butterflies, a consultancy specialising in trans* inclusivity within the workplace, to re-invigorate and re-launch our trans initiative as “Trans*Mission”. 

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We have assembled a panel of inspiring and leading lights in the trans* legal and professional communities to hear about their journeys to success and to explore where we are in our journey towards trans* equality and what our barriers are to true equality in the workplace. We will also explore what you can do to support your trans* colleagues as allies, mentors and sponsors in your organisations.

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We will be exhibiting a selection from our 2015 Purple Reign series, featuring trans* role models from the world of law, business, activism, and entertainment.

Speakers:

• Rachel Reese, Director, Global Butterflies; Co-Lead, InterLaw Diversity Forum Trans*Mission

• Emma Cusdin, People Director, Aviva; Director, Global Butterflies

• Anjeli Patel, Senior Consultant, EY

• Clare Fielding, Founder & Partner, Town Legal LLP

• Daniel Winterfeldt, Partner, Reed Smith; Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum (moderator)

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Thanks to Taylor Wessing for generously hosting this event!

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Please click to view the InterLaw Diversity Forum Legal Sector Guide to Stonewall's 2019 Workplace Equality Index.

Join us for one of the most popular meetings of our LGBT+ Network, where we will be discussing Stonewall's 2019 Work Equality Index ("WEI"). Representatives from this year's high performers in the legal sector will be on hand to share best practice and provide guidance on how your organization can do better on next year's WEI. Applications for the 2019 WEI are due in September, so now is the time to start preparing!

We will also unveil the latest edition of the Top 25 from the Legal Sector for the WEI, co-branded with Stonewall and the InterLaw Diversity Forum. The InterLaw Diversity Forum collaborated with Stonewall eight years ago to innovate this first sector-specific list in the WEI, then called the Top Ten in the Legal Sector. This was intended to recognize those who might not appear in the Top 100 list, and to encourage greater participation in the WEI. Because of its success, it has been replicated by Stonewall for other sectors, as well. 

Stonewall's Work Equality Index is the definitive national benchmarking exercise showcasing Britain’s top employers for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender staff. 

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Since the InterLaw Diversity Forum's founding in 2008, we have seen the number of legal employers in the Top 100 grow from zero to eighteen, and have seen the legal sector rise from second from the bottom to the very top, surpassing even financial institutions. 

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This improvement has been driven by our annual meetings, by intensive behind-the-scenes InterLaw assistance to legal employers in prepraring WEI submissions, by our co-branded sector list with Stonewall, and by InterLaw's previously published Guide to the WEI to the Legal Sector. 

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The InterLaw Diversity Forum has expanded beyond the legal sector and now assists corporates and financial institutions in preparing their WEI submissions. 

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Stonewall has stated: “A major part of the movement forward for the [legal] sector has been the InterLaw Diversity Forum. It helped provide a sector-specific focus."

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Speakers:

• Reg Kheraj, Stonewall 

• Dee Tamlin MSc, Programme Manager Innovation Delivery, Pinsent Masons

• Dee Sekar, Deputy Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum (moderator)

• Daniel Winterfeldt, Founder, InterLaw Diversity Forum & Partner, Reed Smith (Moderator)

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Thanks to Kirkland & Ellis for generously hosting this event!

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Please join us for a combined meeting of our LGBT+ and Race & Ethnicity (BAME) Networks.  This event will be commemorating LGBT History Month and celebrating BAME voices and intersectionality.

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We have put together an inspiring panel of legal professionals to share both their work as well as their personal journeys, to kick the new year off with a bang.

Our speakers are:

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Nimmisha Aslam, Associate, Russell-Cooke 

Nimmisha is a Solicitor practicing in Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury Law and is a board member of the Law Society LGBT+ Committee. This committee seeks to represent the interests of LGBT lawyers within the profession. She is also a voluntary mentor for a women’s charity called ‘Laamiga’ which helps BAME women from refugee and asylum backgrounds to find employment.

Narind Singh, Partner, Clifford Chance

Narind Singh is a partner in the Financial Institutions Corporate Group at Clifford Chance. He specialises in financial services corporate transactions and M&A for banks, insurers and asset managers. Narind is the senior champion for Arcus, the Clifford Chance LGBT employee network group. He’s an active member of the group’s steering committee and has chaired the committee of the firm’s tenth Pride art show. He has spoken at several events, including collaborative event between the firm’s LGBT and BAME networks and faith networks. Narind has also spoken openly on panels about his personal experiences of overcoming certain mental health issues and is a Clifford Chance mental health advocate. He is the partner lead on the firm’s non-gendered pro-bono project, which works for inclusion in UK passports of a non-gender specific alternative to male or female. Narind also provides support and guidance to senior management and the firm’s executive leadership group in supporting LGBT equality.

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Muzaffar Shah, Associate, Weil

Muzz is an associate in the Technology and IP Transactions Group at Weil in London. He acts on a pro bono basis for several leading LGBT+ charities and campaigning organisations, with a particular focus on information laws impacting charity funding and the privacy rights of LGBT+ individuals. He is also an active member of the firm’s LGBT+ international affinity group – WEGALA – which assists the firm with the monitoring of inclusion and diversity at both recruitment stage and later stage careers at Weil, and hosts a biannual conference for the firm’s self-identifying employees.

S Chelvan, Barrister, No5 Chambers (London)

Chelvan is a barrister at No5 Barristers Chambers, based in London. He has an international reputation as an activist/academic/advocate relating to protection and human rights claims based on sexual or gender identity or expression in "Europe and beyond" (UNHCR Ireland, December 2017). He was awarded Legal Aid Barrister of the Year in 2014, is referred to as a Powerhouse in the Black Law Directory Powerlist of 34 top black influencers in the law and is the highest ranked lawyer in the most recent Independent on Sunday Rainbowlist of the top 101 most influential LGBTI individuals in the UK.

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Anthony Francis, Lead IT Project Manager, Lloyds Banking Group

Anthony Francis is a Lead IT Project Manager at Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) and is currently leading on various workstreams under their Retail and Community Bank transformation programme, having previously managed portfolios with a combined budget in excess of £100m. Anthony joined LBG as a Graduate in 2014 and has a reputation for not only being able to deliver things but also in the way in which he portrays the Groups values in doing so. Anthony is recognised as a role model through the Group and has featured on its BAME Role Model list for the previous 2 years. Anthony plays a key role supporting the Group with its LGBT agenda, as well as organising a number of key events throughout the year he is also the Regional Co-Lead for the Rainbow networks South and Wales region which represents c.2000 members and supporters. Anthony was instrumental in the Groups participation in UK Black Pride 2017 which was the first time the Group had ever participated in the event which saw thousands of BAME LGBT individuals coming together to celebrate their sexual orientation with their friends and families.

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Moderators:

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Dee Sekar, Deputy Chair and D&I Specialist, InterLaw Diversity Forum

Daniel Wintereldt, Founder & Chair, InterLaw Diversity Forum; Partner, Reed Smith

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Thanks to  Weil Gotshal & Manges for generously hosting this event!

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Please join us in the Judges’ Dining Room at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey for a very special LGBT+ Network event celebrating Black History Month and the pre-launch of Purple Reign Phase II with celebrated photographer Leonora Saunders.

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This event is hosted by our patron Tim Hailes, MD and Associate General Counsel, JP Morgan and recently elected as Sheriff of the City of London, the first openly LGBT+ person to hold the position since it’s inception in 1066 A.D.

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We will have an exhibition featuring photographs from Purple Reign Phase I by Thomas Knights, as well as a preview of some new portraits on display for the first time.

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Our panel discussion will focus on the intersectionality of BAME and LGBT+ featuring:

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• Tim Hailes, Sheriff of the City of London, MD and Assistant General Counsel, JP Morgan

• Leng Montgomery, BAME + Trans* Activist, Diversity & Inclusion Executive, Sainsbury’s

• Olivette Cole Wilson, Only BAME Founder of Stonewall, Actress & Expert in LGBT+ Families and Adoption, Barnardo’s

• Daniel Winterfeldt, Founder, InterLaw Diversity Forum; and Partner, Global Capital Markets, Reed Smith (Moderator)

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This event is generously sponsored by long-time supporter Baker & McKenzie, as well as by CMS as part of their groundbreaking Diversity & Inclusion Festival.

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