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With Pride Month drawing to a close, DLA Piper partner Jonathon Ellis speaks about the positive change he’s witnessed for LGBTQI lawyers and why we still have more work to do.
Jerome Doraisamy
It is fundamental, Mr Ellis said, that law firms create workplaces that are inclusive, respectful and reflect the diversity of the clients and communities served by that firm.
Speaking to Lawyers Weekly, Mr Ellis reflected that it “takes a bucketload of energy” to hide the fact that you are gay – something he notes he tried “probably not so successfully” to conceal in his early 20s.
“I know now that I thrive being able to bring my full self to work,” he proclaimed.
“Overall, I’ve been incredibly lucky in my professional life (not only at DLA Piper but earlier in my career at KWM and Ashurst) to have fantastic support and guidance including from ‘out’ colleagues, leaders and also strong allies like Justice [Joanne] Cameron of the Supreme Court of Victoria, Rani John and Jon Hayes.”
That is not to say, however, that his professional experience has been all smooth sailing, he added.
“Of course, there have been times when I’ve heard language from colleagues and clients, I didn’t think was appropriate and comments which were homophobic. When I was a junior lawyer, I was probably more inclined to let it slide and shrug it off. I remember it was when I was working as a second- or third-year lawyer and I observed a colleague (who I would now describe as an ally) point out quite eloquently and probably, the recipient would have said, forcefully, why certain words are offensive,” he recounted.
“It was at that point that I knew I also had the power to stand up and call that behaviour out. My approach is to always try to explain why the conduct is offensive or inappropriate – trying to educate rather than to admonish and hope that they will take on board what I have shared with them.”
Mr Ellis’ education for others now extends further than those one-on-one conversations, serving as the international co-lead for DLA Piper’s ‘Iris Network’ for LGBTQI staff and allies. This role, he explained, sees him set strategy for the firm’s Iris communities around the world “to ensure that everyone feels welcome, valued and part of the team”.
“At its core, it flags internally and externally [the idea that], ‘We want you here and we want you to be yourself’. It’s why whenever we’re discussing implementing our global strategy for Iris, I always think about how it will make people want to work with us, and how it will make a colleague’s day better,” he said.
“The work we do through Iris to educate and open discussions is a fundamental way we can shift people’s individual and, over the longer term I hope, community views on LGBTQI people. That’s why I think our partnering with clients on [pro bono] initiatives, holding regional summits for our Iris community and being involved in business community platforms like Out Leadership [are] so important. It enables us demonstrate our values as a business and influence discussions being had outside the four walls of our offices.”
Mr Ellis remains, of course, in a position to advise those coming through the ranks about their identities. One of the most important pieces of advice he offers, he said, is that emerging LGBTQI legal professionals must find firms that have a value set that one can identify with.
“The firm’s values will determine how well they live up to their claims of being an inclusive workplace. You should ask questions of current lawyers (if you get that opportunity) about what diversity initiatives (not just LGBTQI) the firm has and more importantly, if people you are going to work with are involved in them. The response to these questions can give you a great insight to the individual’s values as well,” he suggested.
Looking ahead, Mr Ellis is “incredibly optimistic” about the future of diversity and inclusion in Australia’s legal profession.
“Over the course of my career I’ve seen really positive change from where we didn’t talk about reconciliation, LGBTQI or racial diversity issues, to them being discussed at the most senior levels of the profession and efforts being made to effect change,” he recalled.
“Obviously we, as a profession, need to do more across all areas, from entry to law school and recruitment into firms, to ensure we have more female, people of colour, [Indigenous/First Nations] and LGBTQI people who feel comfortable in the workplace, and have long and rewarding careers in the law.
“As a first step, I’d encourage everyone to join a diversity network as an ally or even just educate yourself by following a diversity topic on LinkedIn. If a network or conversation doesn’t already exist about these things at your law firm, I’d encourage you to be the one who starts it!”
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly. A former lawyer, he has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. He is also the host of all five shows under The Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network, and has overseen the brand's audio medium growth from 4,000 downloads per month to over 60,000 downloads per month, making The Lawyers Weekly Show the most popular industry-specific podcast in Australia. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of Minds Count.
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