Study Claims LGBT Lawyers Underrepresented in Judiciary

Thu, 08 Jul 2010

New research from lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) lawyers group Interlaw has suggested that gay people are underrepresented in the judiciary. The group’s new study claims that judicial culture, the isolation of the job and a perception of hostility to oust gay judges has deterred gay and lesbian solicitors and lawyers from becoming judges.

The findings are limited at present as there is not yet any research, or even estimates, about the number of gay or lesbian judges in Britain. However, consensus suggests that this group are underrepresented in the judiciary, prompting Liberal Democrat peer Lady Neuberger to recommend the profession should become more sexually diverse in her review of the judicial system earlier this year.

Daniel Winterfeldt, a lawyer from Simmons and Simmons law firm and the founder of Interlaw, commented that many LGBT lawyers did not consider the judiciary as part of their career prospects, largely owing to a lack of role models. Up until 1991, only married people were permitted to serve as judges – a policy which dates back to the 1970s which was supposedly designed to avoid any homosexual controversies.
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