His life story is a remarkable one. After fleeing Nazi-occupied Hungary as a Jewish teenage refugee during World War II, and posesssing only a few words of English, Gold went on to pursue IP in the UK and later became president of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys.

And while Gold emphasises that antisemitism did not prove a barrier to his eventual success, he remained aware of its entrenched presence in the legal community. At one point during the 1980s, lawyers of Jewish origin were even being excluded from certain legal clubs.

“It was a long time ago, and much of the discrimination was very subtle. But as a young Jewish person you knew or quickly learned which firms had a very white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant culture with no Jewish professional employees and which did,” he recalls.

And it seems that challenges and concerns for this community continue, with Rare’s report showing that more than a fifth of Jewish interviewees reported that they were scared about the rise in antisemitism, and felt that law firms could do more to support them.

Difficult conversations

The Rare study found that a lack of awareness around culture and religion was common and created feelings of exclusion.

For example, more than four in ten Muslim lawyers interviewed explicitly stated that the experience of women who wear a headscarf is “very different” and more negative than those who do not visibly express their religion.

Such findings resonate with Khan who remembers a retiring partner telling him at a party that “he had been worried about the sector letting people like him in”.

On another occasion, he recalls a senior white male partner feeling no qualms about revealing during a meeting that he was “worried about the diversity agenda, because it’s going to upset things”.

Due to these experiences, it comes as a little surprise to Khan that the participants in Rare’s study who raised issues with a senior leader or partner felt that their concerns were not taken seriously.

He recollects having a “difficult conversation” with a senior partner concerning the labelling of food provided at an event so that it was Halal, and in accordance with his dietary requirements as a practising Muslim.

“It was such an issue because it cost a little extra, yet the firm was happy to pay for alcohol at such events. And there probably would have been no issue around labelled food for those with food intolerances or providing food for vegetarians and vegans,” he says.

Such attitudes, he explains, prevent people of faith from being fully open about their religious persuasion.

“That’s part of the reason why many of us keep our religious practices private, we just don’t want to raise it as an issue because you get an unreasonable knockback.”

A lack of flexibility

The Rare study noted a lack of flexibility during religious events such as Ramadan and the Sabbath, with 43% of interviewees experiencing this issue.

Commenting on his own experiences during Ramadan, an annual month of fasting (sawm), prayer, and reflection observed by Muslims, Khan has encountered misunderstandings.

“People have asked: ‘oh why do you do this, it’s really unhealthy’. But nobody comments if somebody else does the 5:2 fasting diet. This practice is followed by more than one billion people around the globe.”

Several of the Muslim lawyers interviewed by Rare also felt firms could be more proactive with their communication and expectations during Ramadan, while 14% of the Muslim lawyers interviewed reported difficulty with taking time off to pray.

Daniyal Khan, associate at Marks & Clerk, says that while his firm is supportive and he has time allocated for prayer, he remains worried about the lack of awareness around his faith and culture throughout the legal sector.

“It is getting better. But on a few occasions, colleagues have come across me when I’ve been praying. And I’ve been worried about their perception and reactions. So I’ve felt the need to explain myself,” he says.

He believes that more efforts should be made to highlight cultural traditions around certain times of the year.

“It would be good if more was done around Ramadan, as we do for Christmas. For example, where we have Christmas-related events and dinners, we could also have more recognition of other religious events to engage more people. This means that more people can understand those practices and traditions.”

Climbing upwards

There are questions over whether faith or an affiliation with a faith-based cultural identity impedes or stalls career journeys.

According to Rare’s report, 86% of the Jewish lawyers interviewed said they still felt partnership was achievable and reported being aware of several active Jewish partners at their firms.

As Gold points out, his unpleasant anti-semitic experiences had little bearing on his eventual success. “These incidents had no effect on my career. After all, I was elected by a very substantial vote to become President of CIPA,” he observes.

Muslim lawyers feel somewhat differently, however. By contrast to their Jewish colleagues, half of the Muslim lawyers interviewed by Rare said they aspired to make it to partner before joining their firm. But now, only 36% of those still hoped to make partner, while 21% of interviewees now felt that partnership did not feel achievable.