Baker McKenzie and Clyde & Co
A duo of City law firms have partnered with King’s College London Students’ Union and Tower Hamlets Law Centre to launch a new law clinic.
‘Pride Beats Prejudice’ is targeted specifically at members of the LGBTQ+ community facing discrimination in the workplace. One-off advice is on offer, with users of the clinic able to email their queries, be contacted by phone, and then book an appointment to meet lawyers in person or virtually.
Founded by KCL student Joe Hayes, the clinic is supported by Baker McKenzie, which has provided advice on the set-up of the initiative and run a virtual virtual clinic, and Clyde & Co, running a second virtual clinic last month.
Commenting on the clinic, Hayes said: “I am delighted to have launched ‘Pride Beats Prejudice’ and to have had the support of Baker McKenzie… to get this important service up and running. As an active member of the LGBTQ+ community, I want to bring legal information to people easily. I hope that by providing a service like this free law clinic we can give young, vulnerable LGBTQ+ individuals the chance to understand their rights in full.”
Emma Rehal-Wilde, senior pro bono associate at Baker McKenzie, added:
“One of the key focus areas for our pro bono programme is ensuring equity and opportunity for vulnerable populations. Although a lot of progress has been made in terms of LGBTQ+ acceptance and inclusion, services like ‘Pride Beats Prejudice’ are still essential to ensure that members of the community feel safe and able to be themselves in the workplace.”
Earlier this week a range of law schools and universities took home awards at the LawWorks and Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards. The winners on the night were the universities of Chester and Bristol, alongside Hertfordshire Law School and King’s College London.