News. A round up of what's been happening at the Society and members' news

NEWS

and almost one in five LGBT employees (18 per cent) have been the target of negative comments from colleagues because of their identity. STONEWALL NAMES IRWIN MITCHELL ONE OF BRITAIN’S TOP 100 LGBT INCLUSIVE EMPLOYERS

Sanjay Sood-Smith, Stonewall’s Executive Director of Workplace & Community Programmes, said: “We are delighted to name Irwin Mitchell as one of our Top 100 Employers this year. All the organisations in this year's Top 100 Employer's list are playing a huge role in improving the lives of LGBT people, and should be very proud of their work.

Stonewall’s Top 100 is compiled from submissions to the Workplace Equality Index, a powerful benchmarking tool used by employers to assess their achievements and progress on LGBT equality in the workplace, as well as their wider work in the community and on service provision.

Irwin Mitchell has been named one of the most inclusive employers in Britain by lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT) equality charity Stonewall in its Top 100 Employers list for 2020. Irwin Mitchell has placed 74th on this year’s list, climbing 73 places from last year’s list.

This year’s Top 100 was the largest ever with 503 employers entering, demonstrating their commitment to LGBT workplace inclusion.

In addition to placing on the list, the firm, which has 15 offices across the UK, including a Birmingham office, also received recognition for a Highly Commended LGBT+ networking group.

As part of the Top 100, Stonewall collects more than 109,000 anonymous responses from employees on their experience of Britain’s workplace culture and diversity. This year, 81 per cent of LGBT employees who responded to the survey said they feel able to be themselves in the workplace.

Andrew Tucker, CEO of Irwin Mitchell, said: “We’re delighted with this news as it is reflective of the great work taking place across our business to make sure colleagues are valued for who they are and what they bring. Being a diverse and inclusive firm means we are able to better support each other, provide a better service for our clients and lead the way for others to follow in our communities.”

Stonewall’s 2018 Work Report revealed more than a third of LGBT staff (35 per cent) have hidden they are LGBT at work

Each organisation must demonstrate their expertise in 10 areas of employment policy and practice, including networking groups, senior leadership, procurement and how well they’ve engaged with LGBT communities.

NEW RECRUITS AS TALBOTS RECORD £14M FEES

The three of them have extensive experience of residential and commercial property and have developed a strong client base across professional services, high profile developers and estate agents.

They aren’t the only promotions being made with Katie Wager and Sanjeev Sunder now Senior Associates and Aneesah Sheikh, Holly Elphick and Joe Foley moving into the position of Associates.

A trio of promotions are set to help Talbots Law capitalise on a £2m increase in fees.

The firm, which has six offices across the Black Country and Worcestershire, has appointed Claire Cooper, Liz Hulland and Yvonne Masters as Directors of the fast-growing business that saw turnover hit £14m last year. “2019 was a very good year for us, with strong performances in all areas, but specifically across our property and business services teams,” explained Mary Morgan, CEO of Talbots Law.

“18% growth surpassed our initial projections and to support the expansion we have appointed Claire, Liz and Yvonne as Directors. All of them are experts in their field and have shown a real passion for delivering high quality, cost effective legal advice for local people and companies.”

She went on to add: “Our people are at the heart of our approach and we are committed to investing in their training and their progression, giving them opportunities to maximise their potential.”

CHALLENGE US TO SAVE YOU MONEY ON YOUR MORTGAGE

Wesleyan Financial Services are dedicated to your profession and has arranged over £500 million in professional mortgage loans in the last 2 years. In addition to remortgages, we provide solutions across a broad range of mortgage needs, covering first-time buyers, movers and buy-to-let.

LEARN MORE AND SEE IF WE COULD SAVE YOU MONEY ON YOUR MORTGAGE

Download our free Remortgage Guide for Lawyers – wesleyan.co.uk/remortgages Call us free on 0800 980 7390

REASONS TO CHOOSE OUR MORTGAGE ADVICE SERVICE FOR LAWYERS:

 Fee-free * mortgage advice service

 Mortgages from across the market

 Specific deals available to lawyers

 Specialist advice from your local Financial Consultant

*Wesleyan Financial Services will be paid a fee by the mortgage lender upon completion of the loan. There are charges for investment advice and other services.

Your mortgage is secured on your home. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

Financial Advice: Retirement Planning • Investing • Funding • Insurance

Follow us for regular updates on social media

@wesleyan facebook.com/ wesleyanAS linkedin.com/ company/wesleyan

Most Buy to let Mortgages are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Advice is provided by Wesleyan Financial Services Ltd.