The legal profession used to be exclusive. It created barriers both obvious and insidious to prevent women and non-white men to belong. Many pioneering individuals worked hard to break down those barriers. Is it perfect yet? No. Neither is the rest of society. But it is well on its way, and cognizant of the challenges both historically and currently.
In my practice, my decision on whether or not to take on a client will never be based on their gender, gender identification, sexual orientation, race or religion. I will not provide advice to any client who I believe discriminates against any of these groups or individuals.
When recommending or making referrals I will only base those recommendations or referrals on the skills and abilities of those individuals or firms – I will not recommend in favour of, or against an individual based on their or race, religion, sexual orientation, gender or gender identification. However, I will not recommend an individual or firm if I believe that they or it discriminates against any of these groups or individuals.