Glass Ceiling

The Times reports that Pinsent Masons is the first law firm to enter Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index – meaning that it is one of the top 100 employers for gay people. I actually suspect that homophobic discrimination is fairly low in large law firms, and that Pinsents’ placing is more down to a joint initiative between HR & PR than a real representation of different quality of life working there. Money is king in these arenas, and the complete disregard shown for solicitors’ personal life doesn’t depend on who he or she chooses to spend it with. Certainly in my experience a firm will let you get away with any number of personal attributes (positive or otherwise) if you rack up enough hours every month. But similarly, law firms are not the sort of businesses that need to emphasise their diversity policies in order to attract diverse candidates – law has rapidly turned into a profession where women and ethnic and sexual minorities are represented in huge numbers. The lack of these people in senior positions and the judiciary is symptomatic of that rapidity set against the time needed to reach seniority, rather than any glass ceiling.