16 City firms make it to LGBT top 100 employer list

Legal profession most represented sector

Sixteen City law firms feature in this year’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employer power list.

Top ranking firms include Pinsent Masons, holding onto the number two slot for the second year running; Baker McKenzie at number six pipping Berwin Leighton Paisner to the post in seventh, closely followed by Clifford Chance which dropped from fourth to eleventh place.

Compiled by equality charity Stonewall, the top 100 rankings — based on a benchmarking tool called the “workplace equality index” — are in recognition of the achievements of large organisations to promote inclusive places to work.

The accolades given to the legal profession also include ‘Gay Role Model of the Year’ which was awarded to an associate at Slaughter and May, Krishna Omkar, and ‘Senior Champion of the Year’ which was nabbed by Narind Singh, a corporate M&A partner at Clifford Chance.

The three City firms who made it to the top five of the power list also feature on the Trans Inclusion Top 10 — awarded to those organisations which have made the biggest improvements in trans inclusion in their workplaces: Baker McKenzie, Berwin Leighton Paisner and Pinsent Masons.

Other law firms — including a number of magic circle players — which made their mark on the top 100 are: Norton Rose Fulbright (19), CMS sharing the 26th slot with Travers Smith, Hogan Lovells (31) and Herbert Smith Freehills (33).

Outside of the top 50 were Taylor Wessing (51), Slaughter and May (54), Dentons (58), Kirkland & Ellis (73), Eversheds Sutherland and Linklaters sharing the 75th slot, and Allen & Overy (91).

The Ministry of Justice made a stunning entrance this year at number 13. More than 400 organisations participated in total. The top slot was awarded to the National Assembly for Wales.

Stonewall Top 100 UK (law firms only)