For many LGBTQIA+ employees who work in large law firms, Pride Month has long provided a valuable opportunity to draw attention to ongoing challenges effecting the community, while also celebrating and recognising hard-won progress.
Firms would typically show support through enthusiastic event sponsorship, in-office celebrations or by publicly reaffirming commitments to foster inclusive workplaces. But following U.S. President Donald Trump's series of executive orders targeting DEI programs across the public and private sector, this month, shows of corporate support have grown quieter, with the impact of a shifting political climate undeniable.
Reactive silence
This June commentators noticed social media posts from international firms previously vocal about supporting inclusivity efforts were more muted than usual, while U.S.-based Gravity Research reported that thirty-nine per cent of companies planned to “scale back” public Pride Month engagements this year.
Maeve Delargy, a senior associate within the planning and environmental team at Philip Lee LLP, has seen the impact of the shifting climate in Ireland firsthand.
“I do know that lawyers working in-house or for international firms have felt a shift with funding being cut or networks being disbanded,” said Delargy.
“There has also been a reduction in the number of companies sponsoring the annual Pride Parade in Dublin which would have a chilling effect on the employees working in those companies,” Delargy said, noting the burden this must place on LGBTQIA+ staff.
“It must feel like you are being set aside and asked to be silent which, for a lot of LGBT+ people, would be like going back in the closet,” she said.
While some firms are reacting to shifting political tides, others are standing strong in support of their LGBTQIA+ colleagues and clients, seizing the opportunity to reaffirm their commitments and emphasise their involvement in causes that support their colleagues.
Delargy said that she feels “lucky to continue to be supported where I work."
Paul Mander, a UK-based partner at Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP, said that his firm would continue to hold its usual June Pride celebrations, and the event provided an important opportunity to reflect.
“For me, Pride Month, in particular, is a time to honour the progress made, reflect on the threats to that progress, the work still to be done and to celebrate the strength, diversity, and resilience of LGBTQ+ people everywhere,” Mander said.
Canada-headquartered Miller Thomson LLP said that the firm’s commitment had not wavered in the current climate and that the firm would continue to carry out supportive initiatives as normal.
“Our overarching goal of building a workplace culture of belonging remains unchanged and the firm’s commitment to LGBTQIA+ inclusion remains strong,” the firm said.
Model approach
While Pride Month may not be uniformly celebrated by law firm leaders this year, the firms that continue to prioritize a supportive internal culture will find themselves at an advantage.
Harvard Business Review analysis has found that companies reap financial benefits when employees feel that they ‘belong’ in the workplace.
“High belonging was linked to a whopping 56% increase in job performance, a 50% drop in turnover risk, and a 75% reduction in sick days. For a 10,000-person company, this would result in annual savings of more than $52M,” the analysts wrote.
Bain’s Business of Belonging report found that diverse, inclusive teams generated more innovative ideas, while further Harvard Business Review research found that companies with higher DEI scores reported better financial performance, more engaged employees and a stronger workplace culture.
“Causality, as always, is difficult to prove, but the relationship here is hard to ignore,” the researchers wrote, advising that companies carry out surveys as a starting place in order to better understand and support their workforce.
A data-driven approach is a method utilised by Miller Thomson LLP. When “building a workplace culture of belonging, it is important to know your firm’s inclusion story”, the firm said, noting their use of surveys to map out an in-depth understanding of their workforce, and ability to draw on anonymised data.
As a result, this helps to identify areas where positive progress is being made, as well as pinpointing opportunities to “support increased inclusion,” the firm said.
In addition to having an aim and a data-informed picture, fostering a workplace culture where there is a genuine ongoing commitment to DEI, and where the workplace is a safe and welcoming space takes a concerted effort.
Over the years, LGBTQIA+ lawyers and allies around the world have established and refined best practices — with networks being key among them.
Delargy of Philip Lee LLP said having an active network that organises events and campaigns to mark significant dates in the LGBTQIA+ calendar, helps create firm-wide awareness, and provides “good conversation starters” for colleagues.
Networks serve multiple functions, with Delargy describing them as “very important”.
“They are an immediate sign for someone new joining the firm to know that this is an inclusive place to work,” she said.
“They also act as a way for any issues or suggestions to be raised to management and avoid that role falling on an individual. Finally, they are a way for LGBT+ people across the organisation to meet and share experiences,” Delargy said.
For Delargy, being a part of her firm’s network has provided an opportunity to meet others, support the broader education of colleagues about the issues faced by the LGBTQIA+ community in Ireland, and feel like she belongs.
“I have been welcomed back warmly from maternity leave and feel my family is treated like everyone else in the firm. I feel totally accepted here for who I am,” she said.
Taking a stand
Throughout history, lawyers have been at the fore of efforts to advance human rights — many seminal shifts have occurred because of the dedicated work of individuals who seek to fight for the legal rights of others and battle the erosion of hard-won freedoms. Even now, Trump's anti-diversity and anti-transgender executive orders are facing legal hurdles after being blocked by a federal judge in California.
Within their firms too, LGBTQIA+ lawyers and allies have long fought for change and visibility, endeavouring to normalize supportive workplaces. For many, the current climate is another battle.
While political changes have doubtless incurred a quietening effect, top international firms are still publicly hiring DEI officers and coordinators and verbalising inclusivity commitments.
Over time, these firms, and the lawyers who choose to work there, endeavour to influence the industry overall and help establish a supportive status quo.
“There are still very few senior leaders in the legal industry that are LGBT+ and willing to speak openly about it,” Delargy said, noting that this something she is hopeful will change as more LGBTQIA+ lawyers who have “trained and qualified in a more inclusive profession become partners”.
While such a future may seem distant in the current climate, this Pride Month is an opportunity for firms to make their position clear, with Pride events serving as an important call to action, and means to reinforce expectations of inclusivity, while keeping LGBTQIA+ rights on the agenda and in the news cycle.
“Let’s keep learning and creating spaces where all identities are welcomed and celebrated, not just in June, but always,” Mander said.
Publication Date: June 2025