Four Bristol law firms are supporting this year’s Bristol Pride Festival, playing a crucial role in ensuring it can continue to thrive following two years when the pandemic forced it to be cancelled.
Simmons & Simmons is an official Pride Festival partner while Burges Salmon and DAC Beachcroft are official supporters of the event and Bevan Brittan is sponsoring the Bristol Pride Comedy Night. 
The event on 5 July is a major highlight of the packed two-week Bristol Pride 2022 calendar – from 25 June to 11 July – and promises to be full of promising acts on the comedy circuit.
Burges Salmon, which employs 800 people across its Bristol headquarters and Edinburgh office, plays an active role in the two cities’ Pride festivals.
The firm has its own well-established LGBT+ network called BProud as part of inclusion programme across the firm.
Burges Salmon was also one of Top 25 law firms in a table produced in 2020 by LGBT+ charity and campaigning group Stonewall.
As well as sponsoring the Bristol Pride Comedy Night, Bevan Brittan, which also has offices in London, Leeds and Birmingham, had said it will show its commitment to the city’s LGBT+ community on Bristol Pride Day on 9 July with members of its equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) committee, along with colleagues, families and friends, joining the march through the city centre. 
This year the event also marks the 50th anniversary of the first Pride marches in the UK.
Bevan Brittan partner and equality, diversity & inclusion lead Joanne Easterbrook said: “Bevan Brittan is committed to equality and sees diversity and inclusion as an important part of developing a successful business for our clients, our colleagues and our communities.
“We are proud of having an environment in which everyone feels comfortable being themselves and our commitment to Bristol Pride 2022 truly reflects and endorses our thinking.”
Bevan Brittan trainee solicitor and ED&I committee member Nikita Pierpoint added: “I’m part of the newly formed LGBT+ committee and excited to be part of a group of individuals who have lots of energy and great ideas, but who also consider the serious side of the LGBT+ community, which can often be overlooked.
“Individually many of us have supported Bristol Pride over the years but coming together collectively this year feels like a really powerful commitment towards the LGBT+ community.
“We are thrilled to be involved and can’t wait to celebrate people from all backgrounds, regardless of background, race, gender, sexuality or disability.”
