Scotland: Law Society will let solicitors register as gender neutral
The Law Society of Scotland is to allow solicitors to register without forcing them to specify a gender.
The body – which regulates and represents all practising solicitors in Scotland – announced today that it would overhaul its procedures to become more inclusive.
Instead of requiring applicants to choose between titles such as Mr, Mrs and Ms, they will become the latest body to offer the alternative of gender neutral title ‘Mx’.
Director of Representation Neil Stevenson said: “We work very hard to ensure that the Society adopts best practice when it comes to equality and diversity, indeed we have just launched our latest three-year equality and diversity strategy which introduces new equality standards and published guidance on equal pay for law firms and solicitors.
“We have made this change in response to a request from our membership.
“We recognise that the term Mx is growing in use as a gender neutral title and is widely accepted by government and other organisations throughout the UK, so it’s right that we update the Society’s registration processes to make sure that this option is available.”
Brighton & Hove council adopted the trans-friendly Mx title in 2013, becoming one of the first organisations to do so.
RBS – one of the five major retail banks in the UK – is also considering adding Mx to its recognised titles. The bank could also stop asking customers for their mother’s maiden name – because a lot of people have two dads.
