Latham Hosts First-of-Its-Kind Legal Clinic in UK

In partnership with LGBTQ+ charity Mermaids, Latham hosted an online legal clinic — the first of its kind — to provide guidance on the use of deed polls to change an individual’s name in the United Kingdom. Latham lawyers helped trans and nonbinary individuals with their questions on how to change their names, and gave advice on how to ensure an individual’s new legal name is updated on passports and with banks, schools, and medical services. 

“Changing your name is one of the first and easiest things you can do as part of transitioning. It’s a really fun and exciting step,” said Danni Davies (they/them), the Latham associate leading the clinic. “We were honored to work with Mermaids, our longtime pro bono client, and to be able to help so many trans, gender-variant, and nonbinary individuals — and we look forward to hosting future clinics.” Danni, who also serves as one of the global leaders of the firm’s LGBTQ+ Lawyers Group, participated in an Instagram Live promotion for the event, and shared their personal journey.

Mermaids has been supporting transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse children, young people, and their families since 1995. In recent years, there has been an increase in demand for support and information on transgender issues, including questions from individuals about how to change their names. Lawyers from Latham and Mermaids staffed the clinic to research and answer questions. Future clinics are expected to be held quarterly, with the next scheduled to take place this summer.