At Russell-Cooke, supporting LGBTQ+ inclusion is a key part of our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I). Each year, Pride Month provides a focal point to celebrate LGBTQ+ communities, reflect on progress, and consider the work still needed to ensure equal access and opportunity for all colleagues.

Pride is both a celebration and a reminder of the activism that has secured rights for LGBTQ+ people, including the Stonewall riots of 1969. Visible recognition of Pride helps signal that the firm values authenticity, safety, and belonging in the workplace.

The firm’s ED&I group coordinates a range of activities during Pride Month, creating opportunities for learning, reflection, and connection. Recent events included a reception with guest speaker Dame Julia Hoggett, who shared her experiences entering male-dominated professional spaces as a young lesbian, highlighting the importance of inclusive leadership. Staff also participated in a networking event at the Inner Temple, enabling engagement with senior figures across the legal sector and reinforcing the value of inclusive professional networks. In addition, colleagues attended a film screening and gallery exhibition exploring LGBTQ+ history, including “The Lost and Loved Venues of Gay London,” which underlined the importance of cultural preservation and community visibility.

Beyond Pride Month, Russell-Cooke’s efforts to support LGBTQ+ colleagues are embedded in everyday practice. The firm fosters an inclusive workplace culture, where policies, training, and networks are designed to ensure that all staff feel safe, visible, and able to contribute fully. Through internal support networks, awareness-raising initiatives, and participation in wider industry diversity forums, the firm encourages open dialogue, mentorship, and learning around LGBTQ+ issues.

Supporting Pride and LGBTQ+ inclusion is about more than celebration; it is about access, belonging, and opportunity. When colleagues can bring their full selves to work, they are able to participate fully in professional networks, develop their potential, and contribute their ideas and talents without fear of exclusion. As one ED&I reflection noted: “Allowing people to feel safe at work by being their true selves … has a positive impact on work ethic, loyalty and productivity.”

Russell-Cooke’s ongoing efforts demonstrate that creating inclusive environments benefits everyone, supporting both individual potential and the wider organisational culture. By embedding visible support, learning opportunities, and inclusive networks into everyday practice, the firm ensures that LGBTQ+ colleagues have the access, representation, and opportunity they need to thrive.

The 10,000 Black Interns Foundation provides paid work experience for Black undergraduate and recent-graduate talent. Its goal is to tackle barriers to professional careers by offering meaningful exposure to workplaces that students might not otherwise experience.

Access to such opportunities can be decisive in shaping career paths, helping students gain confidence, develop skills, and better understand professional environments.

Russell-Cooke supports the programme because we believe access matters as much as ability. Without structured opportunities, talented students from underrepresented backgrounds may miss out on experience, networks, and insight that are often prerequisites for professional roles.

Moriah Joseph-Brown, a penultimate-year law student who interned with us in August 2025, described her experience as transformative: “Nowadays a lot of industries want individuals who have experience, but most experiences are hard to come by unless someone is advocating for you.”

During her placement, Moriah worked across several departments, including litigation, family law, and trusts & estates. She highlighted how the supportive environment helped her explore new areas of law and clarify her career interests: “From day one I felt welcome and accepted… the partners’ offices are always open and inviting.”

Temi Ojengbede, graduating in Law and Criminology, also valued hands-on exposure during her internship with us in September 2025: “Seeing cases unfold in person made the work feel very real and showed me how much of an impact lawyers can have on people’s lives.”

Rotating across departments allowed Temi to consider areas she had not previously explored, such as private client work and children and family law. She emphasised that curiosity and willingness to learn were as important as technical knowledge: “You don’t need to know everything straight away to succeed… Law is as much about people as it is about rules and procedures.”

The experiences of Moriah and Temi illustrate why programmes like 10,000 Black Interns are crucial. They show that access to work experience can broaden horizons, build confidence, and support informed career choices. Structured, paid internships help to level the playing field, offering tangible opportunities for talented students to gain professional insight, skills, and networks that might otherwise be out of reach.

In supporting initiatives like this, organisations contribute to a more inclusive future, where career potential is shaped by talent and ambition, not by who has prior access to experience.