Travers Smith

Travers Smith is an award-winning, full-service law firm with a phenomenal reputation relative to its size. The firm excels in each of its practice areas and routinely wins headline-grabbing work from an enviable list of clients.

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves and reach their full potential and to driving forward progress on diversity and inclusion within the business world more broadly and in wider society.

We have led a series of initiatives aimed at promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion at work and in the wider community. Some highlights include:

• Launching the ninth year of our innovative mentoring programme in partnership with Just Like Us, which is aimed at enabling students to enter the workplace as future LGBTQ+ leaders, who are confident in their identity and are openly LGBTQ+
  

• Championed the development of more LGBT+ inclusive workplace policies - most recently, leading a review of the firm's trans-inclusivity - and driving positive change for trans/non binary people (including a revised dress code)
  

• Provide significant pro bono legal advice for LGBTQ+ organisations, including Stonewall, Just Like Us and GiveOut
  

• Running a series of awareness-raising events in collaboration with the firm's six network groups (LGBTQ+, Gender Balance, Race/Ethnicity, Disability, Social Mobility and Faith) to promote greater inclusion on an intersectional basis

“People perform better when they can be themselves. Creating a workplace where LGBTQ+ people can be authentic and reach their full potential creates a more stimulating and rewarding environment in which to work. As well as being the right thing to do, it also enables us to be a more intelligent business and able to meet the diverse needs of our clients and communities. The LGBTQ+ Group, and our partner led D&I Board, have been at the forefront of a range of important initiatives both inside and outside the firm, and we have many exciting plans for the future. If you would like to be involved in any capacity, we would be delighted to hear from you.”

Daniel Gerring, Partner

Awareness raising

The firm does regular events to raise awareness around different identities, attempting to make them as intersectional as possible.

• As part of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans) History Month 2024, we welcomed two excellent panellists to the Auditorium to hear about the ban on LGBT personnel serving in the British Armed Forces, lifted 24 years ago.

• For Pride Month 2023, we welcomed three special speakers for a panel discussion on parenting LGBTQ+ children. The session covered a broad range of topics, including: the role and experiences of parents and carers in supporting LGBTQ+ people, as well as actions we can all take to be effective allies for young LGBTQ+ people.

• For LGBT History Month 2023, we welcomed three excellent and inspiring panellists to our office for an in-person panel discussion to discuss the experiences of LGBTQ+ parents. They discussed a variety of topics including the unique challenges and insights of being a LGBTQ+ parent, role modelling and combining parenting with professional success.

Our most popular event in recent years occurred in September 2022, when we were delighted to invite Olympic gold medallist, Tom Daley, and former rugby union player, Ugo Monye, to our offices for a Q&A.

Tom & Ugo shared their personal stories, sporting anecdotes and wider topics, including being the best you can be, role modelling and the positive impact of sport on individuals and communities.

The event was an important way to show colleagues how intersectional diversity & inclusion topics are, particularly regarding mental health.

A Role Model Focus

Role models have a crucial role in helping shape a workplace culture. They can demonstrate that difference is both possible and valuable to the workplace and the services we provide.

We regularly provide platforms and opportunities for people from minoritised backgrounds to share their stories and professional experiences, helping us create a workplace built on mutual understanding and respect. As part of this series, for Pride Month 2023, we published a new edition of our Telling Stories series on LGBTQ+ Role Models.

Case Study: Just Like Us

In 2024, Travers Smith entered the eighth year of its pioneering mentoring scheme, in partnership with LGBT+ charity Just Like Us (JLU). The scheme is aimed at providing LGBT+ graduates with the skills, confidence and support they need as they transition from university life to full time employment.

As well as helping develop the mentoring scheme, Travers Smith works closely with JLU including pro bono legal work on policies, governance, data protection, IP and other general legal issues. Head of Pensions and Partner Daniel Gerring also chairs the charity's board of trustees.

This year the mentors were once again drawn from a wide range of industries and professions, including healthcare and medicine, law, the arts, academia and politics. The 2024 scheme was launched with an in-person event at the Snow Hill office, and mentors will be working closely with their mentees helping to support the personal and professional development of an emerging cohort of future LGBT+ leaders.

Demonstrating the impact of this scheme, over 80 per cent of past mentees felt able to start their first job openly LGBT+, which is double the national average for LGBT+ graduates entering the workplace.

Mental health

The ability to be open about mental health is critical to us. We are determined to promote a culture in which staff at any level feel comfortable in discussing a mental health issue without fear of being judged or criticised.

It is important that staff feel able to share personal stories and are confident in listening, talking and knowing how to support themselves and others with any issues.

More than just promises, we take meaningful action to ensure that our staff are provided with confidential access to mental health experts, advice and services whenever they need them.

That is why we deliver mental health first aid training, and offer free therapeutic and counselling services, as well as an effective Employee Assistance Plan, for everyone in the firm. We have also trained specialists in our HR team on mental health needs and ensure we create a friendly support network for all our staff at times of crisis.

For Mental Health Awareness Week 2023, we invited activist Alexander Leon and Chryssy Hunter from Opening Doors to discuss a number of themes relating to the experiences of people from minority groups, particularly relating to age, race, sexual orientation and gender identity. 

Monitoring

Travers Smith is committed to producing and publishing diversity and gender gap reporting, going over and above mandated gender pay gap reporting requirements. The firm publishes pay gap reporting for employees and partners broken down by ethnicity, school type and sexual orientation, as well as gender. The firm's most recent published data can be viewed here.