Greenberg Traurig Earns Top Score in 2016 Corporate Equality Index
(PRWEB) November 18, 2015 -- Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP received a perfect score of 100 percent on the 2016 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), published by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation. CEI is a benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) workplace equality.
“This ranking is a true reflection of what we stand for and we are excited about this achievement,” said Richard A. Rosenbaum, Chief Executive Officer for Greenberg Traurig. “With over 1,900 attorneys in our 38 offices around the world, we value diversity, equality, and inclusion and support the communities in which we live and work. Greenberg Traurig understands and embraces the moral, legal, and business case for LGBT equality. Not only are we proud of our work in this area, we also encourage others to join us. From our pro bono work in overturning Florida’s same-sex adoption ban, to our robust LGBT/ally affinity group, which includes firm members at the most senior level, since our inception, we have built an inclusive environment where individuals are encouraged to be authentic.”
The 2016 CEI rated more than 1,000 businesses in the report, which evaluates LGBT-related policies and practices including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs, and public engagement with the LGBT community. In receiving a 100 percent ranking, Greenberg Traurig received the designation as a Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality.
Within the framework of its diversity initiatives, Greenberg Traurig has supported LGBT organizations and events throughout the years; has publicly supported LGBT equality under the law through local, state, or federal legislation or initiatives; and has provided philanthropic support to LGBT health, educational, political, or community-related organizations, or events. Additionally, the firm’s LGBT attorneys are active participants in the issues, programs, and organizations important to the LGBT community.
Recent examples of the firm’s long-standing commitment to the LGBT community include:
• In March 2015, Greenberg Traurig shareholders Gregory F. Ostfeld and James P. Madigan, both in the Chicago office, prepared the friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of the Anti-Defamation League filed in four cases before the U.S. Supreme Court: Obergefell v. Hodges, Tanco v. Haslam, DeBoer v. Snyder, and Bourke v. Beshear, which challenged the constitutionality of state marriage equality bans.
• In April 2015, hundreds of senior LGBT and ally leaders of the global legal industry convened for the second annual Out in Law: U.S. LGBT Leadership Summit hosted by Rosenbaum at New York Law School. Out in Law brings together executives from leading global law firms to share strategy around issues at the intersection of LGBT and the law.
• In July 2015, the firm was recognized among 42 Illinois law firms for “Raising the Bar” and leading the way in providing a welcoming and fair work environment for LGBT employees and engaging with the LGBT community. The recognition is based on information gathered from the organization’s 2015 Equality Illinois Law Firm Survey.
• In August 2015, Joseph Vallo, a shareholder in the New York office, led a panel at the 2015 LGBT Bar Annual Conference & Career Fair, the 27th Annual Lavender Law Conference. Greenberg Traurig also participated in the annual career fair.
Many organizations have recognized Greenberg Traurig’s diversity efforts. Representative recognitions include:
2015 Minority Law Journal's Diversity Scorecard:
• No. 1 Ranking, African American Partners
• No. 1 Ranking, Hispanic American Attorneys
• No. 2 Ranking, Hispanic American Non-Partners
• No. 3 Ranking, African American Attorneys
Law 360:
• Top 25 Law Firms for Hispanic Attorneys, 2015
• Top 30 Ranking, “100 Best Law Firms for Minority Attorneys,” 2015
Additional select recognitions include:
• “Most Inclusive Firm for Minority Women Lawyers,” Chambers USA Women in Law Awards, 2015
• Shortlisted for two firmwide Chambers USA Women in Law Awards: Most Pioneering Gender Diversity Initiative and Most Valuable Mentoring Program for Women Lawyers, 2015
• Recipient of a "Top Illinois Law Firm Setting the Bar" award presented by Equality Illinois as one of the top firms dedicated to LGBT equality in the state, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2011
• Recipient of the "Champions of Equality" Award presented by the SAVE Dade Foundation for the firm's role in the landmark Florida gay adoption case, 2011
About Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Greenberg Traurig, LLP is an international, multi-practice law firm with approximately 1900 attorneys serving clients from 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The firm is No 1. on the 2015 Law360 Most Charitable Firms list, third largest in the U.S. on the 2015 Law360 400, Top 20 on the 2015 Am Law Global 100, and among the 2015 BTI Brand Elite. More information at: http://www.gtlaw.com/.
Lourdes Brezo-Martinez, Greenberg Traurig, http://www.gtlaw.com, +1 212.801.2131, [email protected]
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