Black Counsel Forum

Last night, Black Counsel Forum had the pleasure of partnering with the British Legal Awards, an incredible event that recognises outstanding achievements across the UK legal profession. It was an honour for our founder Sharon Thomas to present the Standout in DE&I Award, which went to the well-deserved City Century for their remarkable work in championing solicitor apprenticeships. Congratulations to them, Karen Safo-Barnieh Olutogun and to all the other exceptional winners of the evening! And let’s not forget the evening’s host, the brilliant Matt Lucas, who had us all in stitches with his irreverent humour. Who knew legal awards could be this funny? #BCF #BritishLegalAwards #DEI #CelebratingExcellence

5 reasons why your firm Is losing black lawyers (and what to do about it) Law firms are simply not equipped with tackling retention because they don’t understand what is causing the issue or what to do about it. Here are 5 key reasons: 1️⃣ Lack of sponsorship and visible role models 2️⃣ Experience of bias 3️⃣ Insufficient access to high-quality work 4️⃣ Exclusion from networks 5️⃣ Pay gaps (and competition) From speaking to the Black Counsel Forum community last year, we learned  powerful methods that got black lawyers to stay with their employers. Retention isn’t a DEI initiative—it’s a business imperative to ensure that the investment in all talent with the organisation is maximised. Read the full article below for the actionable strategies. #BCF25 #lawyers #blacklawyers #careers

I organised BCF24, the largest Black lawyer residential event yet in the UK, bringing together 400 legal professionals over two impactful days! Here are 4 lessons I learnt about what makes them successful: 1.   Bespoke career development: Black lawyers often limit themselves and their potential because traditional career frameworks often do not address the nuances of their experiences as a black lawyer in the UK. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. To help Black lawyers thrive, career development needs to be personalised, empowering them to reach their full potential and break barriers. For example, at BCF24 we ran an interactive workshop for 200 associates and we crowd-sourced solutions to some of the key challenges that we hear Black associates talk about all the time. 2. Honest Conversations: Many Black lawyers feel isolated or invisible in traditional legal environments. At our event, we created a safe space where attendees felt they could speak openly about their challenges and experiences as well as the opportunities that they can uniquely bring to the table. 3. Role Models & Visible Representation: Seeing super successful Black lawyers sharing their journeys and insights is incredibly inspiring and reinforces the belief that achieving senior levels, global leadership roles or “rainmaker” status in law firms is possible. Having senior Black lawyers as speakers and mentors encourages and empowers lawyers to have ambitious goals. 4. Genuine Connections: What I am the most proud are the opportunities, mentorship and support that were created because BCF24 provided an environment where the lawyers were able to connect on a deeper level. A community that supports each other, shares experiences way beyond the event. If you want more details about what we did check out the Black Counsel Forum website for our BCF24 report.  www.blackcounselforum.com BCF25 Early Bird tickets now on sale!

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗖𝗙𝟮𝟰: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗟𝗮𝘄𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲! It’s been six weeks since #BCF24, and we’re still energised by the incredible turnout and impact! Over 400 Black lawyers joined us from across the UK and Europe for a transformative two-day summit where we learned, shared, and connected like never before. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: • An 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 that brought together over 200 associates for an interactive session focused on specific career advancement tools and approaches for that cohort. • A powerful 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 led by the inspiring David McQueen, offering invaluable insights on leadership and work-life balance for Black legal leaders. • Thought-provoking 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘀 tackling many topics including over-coming barriers, exploring the future of DEI, and the perspectives of Gen Z and Gen Y Black lawyers. • 𝗨𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 moments that sparked new ideas, friendships and potential client collaborations. Thank you to every attendee, speaker, sponsor, and exhibitor for making this event truly memorable. Your support is what drives BCF forward! 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗖𝗙𝟮𝟱: Planning for next year’s event is already underway, and we’re aiming to make it even bigger and more impactful. But we want your input! 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗕𝗖𝗙𝟮𝟱: We invite our community to share ideas for speakers, topics, and sessions that would be most valuable to you. Let us know in the comments or message us directly—together, we can make BCF25 a transformative experience for all. 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: BCF25 is set for 26 to 28th September 2025. Early bird tickets will be on sale very soon, so keep an eye out for more details. Secure your place early to join the movement and help shape the future of Black lawyers in the UK and beyond! #BCF24 #BlackLawyers #LearnShareConnect #BCF25 #Leadership

We’re thrilled to announce that Black Counsel Forum’s Founder, Sharon Thomas, has been selected as a finalist in the Leadership category for the 18th Annual PRECIOUS Awards! This prestigious event celebrates the accomplishments of Black women and women of colour across various sectors, highlighting excellence in leadership, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Since its founding by Foluke Akinlose MBE FRSA in 2007, the PRECIOUS Awards have been a beacon of recognition for the extraordinary contributions of women of color in the UK. Beyond celebrating individual achievements, the PRECIOUS Awards foster a powerful network that supports, elevates, and celebrates the voices and successes of women of color in business and beyond. Let’s cheer on Sharon and all the finalists who are breaking barriers and making remarkable strides! For more about the awards, visit PRECIOUS Awards. #Leadership #PRECIOUSAwards #BlackCounselForum #Inspiration #BCF24 #BCF25

Black Counsel Forum was proud to attend the annual ACGC (African Corporate and Government Counsel Forum) conference in Accra, Ghana a couple of weeks ago. A magnificent gathering of in-house lawyers from across Africa who came together to network and gain updates on legal developments as well as the impact of AI. Congratulations to Cynthia Lareine and Nankunda Katangaza and the whole ACGC team!

A Lifetime of Impact A moment to remember: Jacqueline (Jacqui) McKenzie has been a fierce advocate for justice, from representing Windrush generation families to fighting for civil rights across the UK and Caribbean. Her BCF Lifetime Achievement Award at BCF24, presented by Martin Forde KC with an excellent tribute and sponsored by Gibson Dunn, is a testament to her unwavering commitment to defending the rights of the marginalised. This award and Jacqueline's tremendous (and amusing) acceptance speech will be remembered as one of the highlights of BCF24. We are proud to honour her work and legacy! #BCF24

Sharon will be speaking at Legal Geek tomorrow!

A Huge Thank You to Our Gold Sponsors!  We are incredibly grateful to our Gold Sponsors for their outstanding support of the Black Counsel Forum Symposium 2024: •⁠ ⁠A&O Shearman •⁠ HSBC •⁠ ⁠BCLP •⁠ ⁠Clifford Chance •⁠ ⁠Morrison Foerster  •⁠ ⁠White & Case LLP With your partnership, we were able to bring together over 400 Black legal professionals to engage in meaningful discussions, career development, and networking opportunities. Thank you for being champions of change and for empowering the next generation of Black lawyers. We look forward to continuing our work together to further advance diversity in the legal industry at BCF25 and beyond! #BCF24

🎉 What an incredible weekend in Windsor to round up the end of September at the Black Counsel Forum (BCF) – a dynamic gathering of over 400 brilliant Black lawyers. I had the honor of representing PlayStation as we proudly sponsored this empowering event for the second year in a row. From thought-provoking panels to networking - BCF brought the best of the Black legal community together under one roof. 🙌 With 120+ organizations, 20+ partnerships, and two annual conferences, the energy was electric, the inspiration was contagious, and the connections were priceless. At PlayStation we believe in *showing up* and *supporting* initiatives that empower and uplift Black legal professionals, and BCF is a perfect example of this mission in action. Living the motto of it being the best place to ‘work and play’ - we could not forget the play aspect - and we were able to giveaway a PS5 to one of the delegates to help raise money for BCF’s charity. It was a weekend of growth, reflection, and, of course, making new friends,connections and laughs. 😄 To the organisers, attendees, and all the amazing legal talent who joined – thank you for a truly transformative experience. Looking forward to seeing the continued success of this vibrant community and continuing our partnership for many more years to come. Thanks Sharon Thomas, Eric Grouse Jana MacDougall Stephanie Burns Anthony Justman #BCF #BlackCounselForum #BlackLawyers #LegalCommunity #DiversityAndInclusion #Empowerment #ProudSponsor