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20 May 2014 / Richard Lane , Richard Lane
Issue: 7608 / Categories: Opinion
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Being the best

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Creating a LGB-friendly workplace is essential for a business to thrive, says Richard Lane

Being authentic is a key attribute shared by successful people. In law, as in any other sector of employment, this holds true; not only do authentic people achieve their targets, they inspire confidence around them and act as role models to their peers.

However if you are lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB), being authentic may be more challenging if you’re working in the legal sector. From the outside looking in, the profession can be mystifying, tied up with tradition, and only welcoming to those who fit a narrow stereotype. And being LGB certainly doesn’t fit it. It’s hard to be authentic if you feel unable to talk about your partner, or where you went at the weekend. If homophobic comments are passed off as banter in the office and go unchallenged, then the likelihood that someone can be LGB and authentic will be even lower. In the war for talent and the need to secure the best performance from

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Firm awards training contracts to paralegals through internal programme

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Private client disputes specialist joins commercial litigation team

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Cumbria firm appoints new head of residential property

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
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