Q: Can you start by telling us a bit about yourself and your background?
My name is Jacqui Rhule‑Dagher, and my pronouns are she/her. I am an associate in the complex commercial litigation team at Hogan Lovells, advising clients on fraud, misrepresentation and contractual disputes. Before joining Hogan Lovells, I spent eighteen months at a US firm and trained at Clifford Chance.
I am also a writer, with work published in The Lawyer, Thomson Reuters and the Metro, and an LGBTQIA advocate. In 2023, during Lesbian Visibility Week, I founded Legally Lesbians. In this initiative, lesbians in the legal industry and in‑house lawyers write about their careers and reflect on the importance of lesbian visibility.
Q: What inspired you to establish Legally Lesbians?
When I entered the legal industry, I was deeply closeted. Every Monday morning I rehearsed answers on the tube to avoid outing myself when asked what I had done at the weekend. Once, I mentioned going to Dalston Superstore, and a colleague assumed it was a DIY shop. These moments were isolating and exhausting.
I founded Legally Lesbians because I do not want anyone else to experience that fear. Visibility is vital. If you never see people like you, you can start to believe you are the odd one out. I want people to know that you can be an out lesbian and have a successful career in law.
Q: What challenges have you faced as a solicitor?
The biggest challenge has been the lack of understanding around intersectionality. Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term in 1989 to describe how characteristics such as class, gender and race overlap. When organisations take a characteristic‑by‑characteristic approach, they effectively ask people to leave parts of themselves behind. This erasure intensifies feelings of isolation for those with multiple intersecting identities.
Q: What are the most significant challenges facing LGBTQIA individuals in the legal profession today?
A lack of intersectional understanding affects LGBTQIA individuals too. Another challenge is the absence of visible role models, particularly female role models. A 2022 study by Just Like Us found that more than two-thirds of lesbians delayed coming out due to harmful stereotypes. I am fortunate that Hogan Lovells has two out lesbian partners, but this is not the norm in the City.
Employee Resource Groups often operate in silos. Many firms have separate groups for gender, LGBTQIA staff and race. But what happens to people who sit at the intersection of all three? I am not suggesting ERGs for every intersecting identity, but collaboration is essential to ensure intersectionality is central to DEI objectives.
Q: How does Legally Lesbians help address these challenges?
Legally Lesbians is genuinely diverse and inclusive. Fifty lesbians in the legal industry and in‑house roles have taken part. I have been fortunate to feature individuals who have made significant contributions to the legal profession.
One example is Dr Keina Yoshida, who helped litigate the Rosanna Flamer‑Caldera v Sri Lanka case before CEDAW, the first international human rights case to establish that criminalising lesbian relationships is a human rights violation. In 2024, Judge Dr Victoria McCloud, the UK’s first trans judge, also took part. These participants show that there is no single way to be a lesbian in law.
Q: What steps can be taken to improve visibility?
Visibility grows when people trust that their organisation is a psychologically safe space, supported by well‑drafted policies, active allies and ERGs backed by leadership. When these elements are in place, individuals are more likely to feel confident being visibly out.
For anyone unsure about being more visible, I would share Maya Angelou’s words: “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”
Quick‑fire Questions
Q: One thing you cannot leave the house without?
Sunglasses. The optimist in me hopes they will be needed. The realist in me is usually disappointed.
Q: Coffee or tea?
Coffee. Specifically, Rohan Marley’s brand.
Q: Favourite book?
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin.
Q: Cats or dogs?
Dogs.
Q: One interesting fact about you?
I am ordained as a minister in Florida.
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