Courageous conversations with EDI committee: Georgia Grimshaw

What is EDI? What does it stand for? What does the Committee do? These are questions that are asked when I tell people I am involved in the EDI committee here at Minster Law. I joined the committee in December 2023, wanting to participate in a committee that were enthusiastic about the people and the culture at Minster. I’ve worked here for over 14 years and have always thought it’s the people that make it a great place to work. I looked at the EDI committee and thought, I do not see anyone like me within the group, and so I want to join.

I wanted to bring my own experiences to the team and learn from others too. I am passionate about equality; I’m interested in diversity and think it is so important to be inclusive of everyone. When I went to university, I trained in adult nursing, which meant doing my training 50% of my time at the university and 50% on the hospital wards, where I met people from all walks of life. I am naturally a curious person, and my training helped me ask more questions about my patients’ lives, culture, religious beliefs, and their past. I was empathetic, open-minded, and didn’t mind asking questions to understand better.

My journey so far, in the committee, has evolved, and I am able to voice my opinions and beliefs without judgement. I’m an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community and have discussed several topics from my own experiences about culture and religion. It took me several months to open up to the committee, but when I did, I felt it helped. The group fully understood my thought process and possibly others like me that work at Minster Law. I discussed some of my life choices, past and personal experiences. After the sessions, it opened up conversations and allowed my colleagues to ask questions that they wouldn’t normally ask in the office.

Although it took me some time to be confident in our committee meetings for the fear of offending anyone or using the wrong language, 12 months on, it has been the best project and committee at Minster Law I have been involved in. One aspect of the committee is we encourage courageous conversations. This means we are open about our own culture, traditions, religion, and beliefs. It is vital to have a safe space within this committee so that difficult topics can be discussed, allowing us to learn about topics we are not so confident or educated in.

At Minster Law, we are committed to equality and diversity and being a workplace that creates a sense of belonging for everyone. As an EDI committee, I will continue to bring new ideas to creating an inclusive working culture for our colleagues.