In a climate where many global organisations are scaling back their diversity efforts, leading UK law firm Simmons & Simmons is making its position clear: inclusion is not up for negotiation.
The firm has just announced ambitious new targets to improve representation at the highest levels of leadership. By 2028, Simmons & Simmons aims to ensure that at least 40% of newly promoted UK partners will come from underrepresented backgrounds—including women, Black and ethnic minority lawyers, LGBTQ+ professionals, and people with disabilities.
This bold move reinforces the firm’s long-standing belief that equity and representation are not just internal values—they are critical to legal excellence and client service.
Visible Leadership, Real Representation
The legal profession has made strides in diversifying trainee intake and associate hiring, but progress stalls sharply at partnership level. Simmons & Simmons wants to change that narrative.
Saba Khan, the firm’s Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, explains:
“Visibility at the top matters. We want our LGBTQ+ colleagues, and others from underrepresented groups, to know that there is no ceiling here. You belong in this profession—and at its highest levels.”
The firm’s Managing Partner, Jeremy Hoyland, added:
“Our clients, our people and our communities are diverse. Our leadership needs to reflect that. We’re not afraid to lead the way, even if others are pulling back.”
Beyond the Rainbow Lanyard
While LGBTQ+ inclusion is increasingly celebrated during Pride Month, real progress often comes down to career progression, access to opportunity, and the confidence to be out and ambitious.
Research by the InterLaw Diversity Forum has shown that LGBTQ+ lawyers are significantly less likely to be promoted to partner than their heterosexual counterparts. In many firms, the higher up you go, the more invisible LGBTQ+ identities become.
Simmons & Simmons is working to break that pattern—by investing in mentoring, inclusive leadership training, and transparent pathways to senior roles.
Staying the Course Amid Global Pushback
Across the Atlantic, DEI efforts have been rolled back by legal pressure, shareholder backlash and culture war rhetoric. But in the UK, Simmons & Simmons is part of a growing number of firms that are reaffirming their belief that inclusion is good for business, for people, and for the law itself.
The Law Society recently praised the firm’s “clear-eyed commitment to building a fairer, more representative legal sector.”
Other law firms are watching closely—and so are young lawyers, many of whom are choosing employers not just based on salary or prestige, but on whether they feel safe, seen, and supported.
Why It Matters
For LGBTQI professionals entering or advancing in the legal field, this announcement sends a powerful message: you can be your authentic self and still aim for the top. You don’t have to choose between ambition and identity.
And as Simmons & Simmons is proving, when firms lead with purpose—not pressure—they can build workplaces where everyone has the freedom to thrive.