Heller Ehrman Receives Top Diversity Rating For Second Year in a Row

09.18.2007

Law Firm Scores 100 Percent Rating on HRC’s 2008 Corporate Equality Index

(SAN FRANCISCO) September 18, 2007 – Heller Ehrman LLP announced that the firm has achieved the top rating in the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index. Now in its sixth year, the survey is an annual listing that measures how equitably companies are treating their gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) employees, consumers and investors. Heller Ehrman was among 195 major U.S.-based companies, 30 of which were law firms, earning a rating of 100 percent. This is the second consecutive year the firm has achieved a 100 percent rating.

“We take very seriously our long-standing commitment to promoting a work environment that celebrates the diversity of all individuals,” said Judith C. Miles, managing director of people at Heller Ehrman. “We are very proud to earn this recognition from the Human Rights Campaign for the second year in a row.”

The Index was released today by the HRC as part of a report showing that a record number of the largest U.S. companies are expanding benefits and protections for their GLBT employees and consumers. The number of companies achieving a 100 percent rating is up from 138 in 2006. When the index was first released in 2002, only 13 companies, employing 690,000 workers, received the top rating. For a copy of the Index and HRC’s report, visit www.hrc.org/cei.

“More businesses than ever before have recognized the value of a diverse and dedicated workforce,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “More importantly, these employers understand that discrimination against GLBT workers will ultimately hurt their ability to compete in the global marketplace.”

The 2008 analysis covers 519 surveyed companies and measures the extent to which employers protect their GLBT employees. The Index rated companies on a scale of 0 to 100 percent on several factors, including non-discrimination policies, diversity training and benefits for domestic partners and transgender employees.

In all of the areas that were measured, the report reveals double-digit increases in the number of companies adhering to the criteria. Among the companies surveyed in the new report, when compared to prior reports:

• 98 percent of CEI-rated employers provide employment protections on the basis of sexual orientation
• 90 percent of CEI-rated employers cover “sexual orientation” as a topic of diversity training
• 58 percent of CEI-rated employers provide employment protections on the basis of gender identity, compared to just 29 percent in 2005 and 46 percent in 2006
• 78 percent of CEI-rated employers provide at least one of five categories of treatment to transgendered employees
• 89 percent of CEI-rated employers provide domestic partner health coverage to employees, up from 70 percent in 2006
• 78 percent of CEI-rated companies have an employee resource group or diversity council that includes GLBT issues

Heller Ehrman provides ongoing financial support and/or pro bono representation to some of the nation’s leading GLBT organizations, including: the ACLU- Gay and Lesbian Rights Project, AIDS Legal Referral Panel (ALRP), Children of Gays and Lesbians Everywhere (COLAGE), Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Historical Society, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLADD), International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, Lambda Legal (National Sponsor), National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) (Patron Sponsor), San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender Community Center (Founder).

The firm has also played a major role in litigation concerning the GLBT community. For example:

• Heller Ehrman represented law schools and law professors in bringing a challenge to the constitutionality of the Solomon Amendment, which threatens universities and colleges with loss of all federal funds if they exclude military recruiters from campus or refuse to assist them in their recruiting efforts. Heller Ehrman was lead counsel when the case was argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Heller Ehrman has been involved in a nationwide effort in supporting same-sex marriage with litigation in California, Washington and New York. Cases in California and New York relate to the same-sex marriages performed by Gavin Newsom, the Mayor of San Francisco, and Jason West, the Mayor of New Paltz, New York. In Washington state Heller Ehrman wrote an amicus brief on behalf of a group of historians in the same-sex marriage case, Andersen v. King County.
• Heller Ehrman brought a class action lawsuit against a telecommunications company challenging the company’s anti-gay employment policies and practices that had been in place since 1970. A landmark settlement of the case resulted in significant monetary compensation for class members and changes in the employment practices at issue.

About Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against GLBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

About Heller Ehrman LLP
Heller Ehrman LLP has more than 700 attorneys and professionals in 13 offices worldwide – Anchorage, Alaska; Beijing; Hong Kong; London; Los Angeles; Madison, Wis.; New York; San Diego; San Francisco; Seattle; Silicon Valley; Singapore; and Washington, D.C.  Heller Ehrman represents a wide range of industry leaders, from entrepreneurial, technology-driven enterprises to established, multinational conglomerates.  The firm’s core values are Excellence, People, Teamwork, Innovation, Community and One Firm.