Pinsent Masons given top legal ranking in Stonewall employer tables

Pinsent Masons is the highest ranked legal practice in Stonewall's 2016 guide to the most inclusive employers in Britain, published today.

The international law firm is placed equal fifth in the UK, up four places from last year, and second in Scotland, where it held a top three spot last year. The Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service also performs well, at no 3 in Scotland and no 25 across the UK.

Other legal firms to feature in the UK top 100 are Clifford Chance, a new entrant going straight in at no 9, Baker & Mackenzie at 11 equal, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer at 17 equal, Norton Rose Fulbright at 22 equal, Herbert Smith Freehills at 25 equal, DWF at 56, Hogan Lovells at 57, Reed Smith at 72 equal, CMS Cameron McKenna at 80 equal, Eversheds at 86 and Dentons at 97.

Top UK performer was the intelligence agency MI5, which until the 1990s excluded gays from certain posts in case they became a security risk. Lloyds Banking Group was top Scottish performer and no 2 in the UK.

Police Scotland featured at no 83 in the UK list.

Stonewall compiles the list from submissions to the workplace equality index, a benchmarking tool used by employers to create inclusive workplaces, now in its 12th year. The rankings exclude nine "star performers", employers who have repeatedly demonstrated their commitment to creating inclusive workplaces by ranking in the top 10 of the Stonewall Top 100 Employers list at least three times in the last five years.