PRISM at Reed Smith

We re-launched PRISM in 2015 at a rooftop summer party attended by over 140 clients and industry contacts, along with over 40 colleagues.

These included our London office managing partner and several of our practice group leaders. As well as meeting on a regular basis, PRISM takes part in events organised by other LGBT support and networking groups.

• We are a Stonewall Diversity Champion and are working closely with Stonewall to promote LGBT inclusion across the legal industry. In 2016, for the first time, Reed Smith entered the Stonewall Work Equality Index and ranked in the Top 100. PRISM was also recognised as a ‘Highly Commended Network’.
• We proudly support LGBT charities and community initiatives through our pro bono work. We recently sponsored, for the third year running, the high-profile InterLaw Diversity Forum Winter Carnival, which raised over £50,000 for London LGBT Switchboard.

PRISM co-chair, Alicia Millar, was named one of Brummell Magazine’s ‘30 Inspirational Women Champions of Diversity’ and commended as an advocate for diversity and inclusion. Alicia also received the ‘Rising Star in Law’ award from WeAreTheCity and is very proud to be shortlisted for Diversity Champion at the British LGBT Awards 2016.

Alicia’s fellow co-chair, Huw Morris, was appointed to the LGBT Lawyers Division of The Law Society in 2016. The LGBT Lawyers Division is The Law Society’s new community for LGBT lawyers working in private practice and in-house. Huw is also involved with PrideAM, the recently launched LGBT steering group for the advertising and marketing industry. 

Executive sponsor of PRISM, Kyri Evagora, was included in OUTstanding’s Top 100 Leading LGBT Executives 2015 List, published in the Financial Times. The list recognises inspirational LGBT role models. Kyri is a member of Reed Smith’s Executive Committee and also chair of the firm’s Global Strategy Committee. Only six other lawyers were listed in the Top 100. Huw Morris was nominated in a related category recognising future LGBT business leaders.

Finally, in an initiative driven by PRISM, Reed Smith was appointed to the legal panel of the Human Dignity Trust. The trust provides legal expertise on a pro bono basis to local partners who are challenging the criminalisation of homosexuality around the world. We have set up a specific HDT task force, comprising PRISM members and supporters, to lead this initiative.