Pinsent Masons named as top five employer in Stonewall's Workplace Equality Index 2020

The firm's fourth place ranking in the Top 100 Employers list marks the 13th year that Pinsent Masons has featured in the WEI following its debut in 2008 as the first law firm ever to be included

In addition to its place in the index, Pinsent Masons has been named Stonewall's top Northern Ireland employer and has been recognised as top trans employer by Stonewall. This follows the firm's commitment to inclusivity with the launch of a number of initiatives such as staff training focused on gender identity and expression which ensures the firm is an inclusive environment for trans colleagues and clients.

Senior partner at Pinsent Masons, Richard Foley, said: “Every year I find it heartening to see the progress we’ve made in creating a more inclusive and welcoming place to work. It’s fantastic to see that this dedication and passion is shared by our longstanding peers and new entrants onto the index.

"In addition to the hard work that has gone into promoting inclusion at Pinsent Masons, collaborating with the wider legal industry has been crucial to driving genuine change. Our place in the WEI and Stonewall’s recognition of the work we’ve done to support the trans community is testament to our commitment to diversity and inclusion.

"While it's important to celebrate the success across the legal industry, we recognise that our journey is not complete. Pinsent Masons will not be complacent and we will continue to work with Stonewall and our colleagues and peers to share our journey, support inclusion and promote further change."

In recent years Pinsent Masons has launched a range of initiatives to promote inclusion and has supported Stonewall's Education Role Models programme which helps to eradicate LGBT+ bullying and create safe and inclusive learning environments. As part of this commitment the firm hosted its first inclusive Schools Workshop in 2019 offering gender identity training for teachers at the firm's partner schools.

This year’s Top 100 was the largest ever with 503 employers entering, demonstrating their commitment to LGBT workplace inclusion.

As part of the Top 100, Stonewall collects more than 109,000 anonymous responses from employees on their experience of Britain’s workplace culture and diversity. This year, 81 per cent of LGBT employees who responded to the survey said they feel able to be themselves in the workplace.