Legal eagles go head-to-head at British LGBT awards
Shortlists recognises the efforts across the legal community in how it treats its LGBT members, says head judge
Key figures from the legal profession are set to battle it out for top gongs at Britain's 'Gay Oscars'.
For its commitment to diversity and inclusion, Magic Circle outfit Clifford Chance will go head-to-head with banking giants Barclays, Citi, and Goldman Sachs, alongside IBM, Virgin, Accenture, and Asda, for Employer of the Year award.
Meanwhile, BT's general counsel and company secretary Dan Fitz - who is dual qualified as a New York attorney and solicitor in England and Wales - is up against Berwin Leighton Paisner partner Daisy Reeves, one of the most senior gay lawyers in the UK, in the category of 'LGBT Diversity Champion'.
Reeves is BLP's international LGBT champion and co-founded its LGBT group ten years ago. She also spearheaded the graduate recruitment event, DiversCity. The mentoring scheme has so far encouraged over 300 LGBT students to apply to participating firms.
The Rising Star category sees a nomination for Aritha Wickramasinghe, an associate in the London office of international firm K&L Gates. Prior to becoming a finance lawyer, Wickramasinghe worked at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Tanzania and has spearheaded a number of pro bono projects promoting LGBT rights.
Dubbed Britain's 'Gay Oscars', the RBS-sponsored British LGBT Awards ceremony will bring together top gay celebrities and corporate leaders at in London's Grand Connaught Rooms on 13 May.
The winners will be chosen by a panel of judges headed by Daniel Winterfeldt, head of international capital markets and the diversity and inclusion partner at CMS.
Winterfeldt, a US securities lawyer based in London, said: 'As a senior lawyer and the founder of the InterLaw Diversity Forum it is very encouraging to see several legal firms and individuals recognised in this year's award nominations.
'The shortlists truly recognise the real efforts across the legal community in how it treats its LGBT members,' he continued.
'Great strides continue to be taken and of course there is always more to do and we all must ensure that the profession is more welcoming for the LGBT community and continue to break down perceived barriers in the profession for entry and advancement and to facilitate meritocracies to bring about change for LGBT and all legal professionals.'