Firm News
Sep 25, 2009
Seyfarth Shaw Earns Another Perfect Score in Annual Corporate Equality Index
Firm Continues Apace as a Leader in Providing an LGBT-Friendly Workplace
Chicago, IL (September 25, 2009)—Seyfarth Shaw LLP, one of America’s leading full-service law firms, today announced that it has earned a top ranking in the 2010 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), an annual survey administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The 2010 edition of the index marks the second time in a row that the firm has scored a perfect 100% since law firms were first included in the CEI four years ago.
“Our firm's perfect score in the Corporate Equality Index reflects our continued commitment to being a law firm where talented attorneys are valued for who they are and what they bring to the table on behalf of our clients,” said Gerald L. Pauling, II, Co-Chair of the firm’s Diversity Action Team. “We have worked hard over the years to cultivate a culture of inclusion, and our score in the CEI reflects that, as well as our commitment to being a firm of choice for lawyers and clients who value diversity.”
For the past eight years the HRC Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index has examined various industries’ corporate policies affecting LGBT employees throughout the country. The 2010 Corporate Equality Index rated a total of 590 private employers in various industries. The 2010 report shows impressive gains in policies and protections across the board.
“Even in an economic environment that has presented new challenges for lawyers in private practice, the nation’s largest and most prestigious law firms have only stepped up their commitment to recruiting and retaining a diverse group of attorneys and staff,” said HRC Foundation President Joe Solmonese. “Legal work in this country is deeply rooted in our nation’s core values of equality and justice for all, and law firms continue to set the gold standard for treating their LGBT employees fairly.”
This year’s survey rates law firms and other businesses on a scale of 0 percent to 100 percent on several factors, including: whether they have a written non-discrimination policy and training covering sexual orientation and gender identity; provide insurance that covers transgender-related treatments; support same-sex partners of employees with health insurance, bereavement and family leave policies; have LGBT employee groups; engage in appropriate and respectful advertising to the community; contribute to community organizations; and decline to engage in any activities that would undermine the goal of equal rights for LGBT people.
Seyfarth Shaw has over 750 attorneys located in nine offices throughout the United States including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., as well as Brussels, Belgium. Seyfarth Shaw provides a broad range of legal services in the areas of labor and employment, employee benefits, litigation and business services. The firm’s practice reflects virtually every industry and segment of the country’s business and social fabric. Clients include over 300 of the Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, newspapers and other media, hotels, health care organizations, airlines and railroads. The firm also represents a number of federal, state, and local governmental and educational entities. For more information, please visit www.seyfarth.com.