Q&A: Jordon Goodman on LGBTQ+ History Month
LGBTQ+ History Month serves as a powerful reminder of the struggles and successes of the LGBTQ+ community.
In this article, Jordon Goodman shares his personal experiences on his journey towards qualifying as a solicitor.
Can you describe your journey into the legal sector?
My journey into the legal sector is different to most. After completing my A-Levels, I went straight into a job in digital marketing. I studied law at A-Level, but I didn’t feel ready to go to university straight from sixth form. After a couple of years in digital marketing, I started my law degree in 2019 at the age of 21. I worked in digital marketing all the way up to starting my training contract at Muckle in September 2023.
The main reason I wanted to pursue a career in law is due to how much I enjoyed learning about law at sixth form. I realised after studying commercial based law at university that the business side of law was much more interesting to me than the criminal side of law.
Have you encountered any biases or discrimination within the legal profession?
Luckily, I have not yet encountered biases or discrimination within the legal profession. However, that is not to say they don’t exist.
I have, however, encountered microaggressions at previous companies I have worked at. The most common are asking: which out of me and my husband is the wife; who is going to be the mum when we have kids; telling me that they’re fine with ‘gay people’ because they have a friend/family member who is gay; and even intrusive questions around having a family.
Whilst I know that there is no malice behind some of the words people use, it does begin to wear you down due to constantly needing to explain yourself to someone, in a way that your colleagues may not need to do if they do not identify as being a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
What does the theme of 'Activism and Social Change' mean to you?
Activism and social change is extremely important. Activism does not just mean shouting from the rooftops and joining in marches/parades, and I think people do have this perception of activism. Instead, activism extends to allyship too.
It is so important for people to understand what allyship means to members of the LGBTQ+ community members.
Allyship is not just about being vocal towards injustice; it’s about the way you act and support colleagues. This can be something as simple as actively learning about microaggressions, for example.
Knowledge of microaggressions, biases and discrimination is key for allies to understand what the LGBTQ+ community can experience, so having that base knowledge, or showing that you understand these factors which may not directly affect you, that is being an ally too.
Allyship provide comfort for those who do not feel supported, comfortable or safe within their surroundings, and having that support group of people to help you is priceless.
How do you think the legal sector can become more inclusive?
There needs to be more awareness of LGBTQ+ role models within the legal sector. There were very few role models when I was looking at training contracts in 2020/2021.
Even in those 4/5 years things have changed so much, and diversity and inclusion within the legal sector is becoming more of a priority for law firms. This is great to see, and I hope it continues.
The SRA (1) found that only 4.4% of lawyers identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual in law firms. There are just over 300,000 lawyers in the UK, which means that only around 13,200 identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual.
The figures are even lower for transgender individuals; only 0.5% (around 1,500) confirm their gender is different to their sex assigned at birth.
On a wider scale – only 4 in every 100 lawyers identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual, whilst 1 in every 200 lawyers identifies as transgender.
This clearly shows the need for prominent role models in the legal sector; role models provide hope, confidence, and trust that aspiring LGBTQ+ lawyers can look up to and see that they can be exactly where they want to be, ultimately helping increase the legal sector’s diversity and inclusion.
We need to show those aspiring lawyers that nothing is holding them back from entering the legal profession.
We must also continue to shine a light on what it is like to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community in the years to come, and show any aspiring lawyers that we are here, and we are proud.
What advice would you give to LGBTQ+ individuals who are considering a career in law?
I would tell them to absolutely go for it! I admit, I was wary starting out in the legal profession, feeling like I may have to justify myself to hundreds of new people for at least two years during my training contract.
However, this is far from the truth. I have never once felt like being gay has been a disadvantage to me, and every single person at Muckle has made me feel welcome, included and cared for whenever necessary.
I understand that this is not the same in all law firms, however, this one thing about you does not shape your career. I would say that you should never feel like you need to hide your true self for a job. You want to come to work being 100% you and only you.
It goes without saying that the legal profession can seem daunting, but we have come so far, and I can see the trajectory only going up when it comes to protecting members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Just be yourself; that will always be the best version of you, no matter what it looks like.
How does Muckle support and celebrate LGBTQ+ employees?
Muckle is extremely supportive; this article being one key example of how LGBTQ+ employees are celebrated.
Due to the statistics, you cannot always expect a large number of LGBTQ+ colleagues at work. But Muckle is full of allies and those who understand microaggressions, biases and discrimination that affects different parts of their lives.
Muckle is great at educating its employees on the importance of diversity and inclusion within the legal sector. I am proud to be a part of the diversity and inclusion team here at Muckle, and we are always developing ideas that are brought to the table every time we meet.
Not only that, but it is clear that people in the firm genuinely care about diversity and inclusion. It doesn’t just seem to be a tick-box exercise here, as it may be for other companies.
Diversity and inclusion are constantly at the forefront of the firm’s strategy, and I have never once felt out of place here.
I believe that this firm is exactly where I need to be to develop my legal career, but also be supported in every possible way from every individual at the firm.
I am proud to be an openly gay male in the legal profession, and will continue to be as vocal as possible to ensure that aspiring solicitors who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and otherwise feel supported as they enter the legal profession.
At Muckle, celebrating diversity and inclusion is important to us. Read more about our supportive culture.
References:
1) SRA