SEPTEMBER 21, 2006 | EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Four California Firms Rate Perfect on GLBT Equality

By Robert Iafolla
Daily Journal Staff Writer

LOS ANGELES - A growing number of law firms are taking steps to ensure equal benefits and protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees, according to a new report from the Human Rights Campaign.
The fifth annual Corporate Equality Index, released Tuesday, gave a dozen U.S. law firms a 100 percent score, up from one firm in 2003.
The index rates organizations on 11 factors, including whether they have non-discrimination policies covering sexual orientation; contribute to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community groups; and offer benefits to employees with same-sex partners.
"It's more than just checking off boxes to score 100 percent," said Eric Bloem, associate director of the Human Rights Campaign's Workplace Project.
A high score shows that a firm "has the components that lay the foundation for a welcoming and open workplace," he said.
Four of the 12 firms with a perfect score are headquartered in California. They are Heller Ehrman, Morrison & Foerster, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman.
In last year's report, four of seven law firms rated received a perfect score, while this year's dozen came from 29 law firms rated.
The increase is due, in part, to wider distribution of the survey. Formerly, it was sent to Fortune 500 companies, Forbes' list of the top 200 privately held firms, and any company with 500 or more employees that requested a survey or had enough data to be rated. This year the rolls expanded to include the 100 highest grossing law firms, as measured by The American Lawyer magazine.
Overall, 446 companies were rated, up from 402 last year.
Bloem said the increases also result from a "drive for the top" among firms.
"Law firms are seeing that their competitors are being scored, and then they want to be scored as well," he said.
Richard M. Segal, a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop who heads the firm's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender lawyers group, said the increase in firm participation shows the growth in prestige of the Corporate Equality Index.
He also said the increase in perfect scores "is reflective of increased awareness."
"Issues for lawyers and staff are coming to the forefront because LGBT individuals are coming out of the closet, so to speak," Segal said. "Firms are recognizing the need to be accommodating, and supportive policies are being implemented."

Keith Wetmore, chairman of Morrison & Foerster who is also openly gay, said that law firms are in a business where "attracting the best talent is a top priority, and a smart firm won't do anything to turn away people from that talent pool."
Joseph Evall, an openly gay partner who leads Orrick's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender initiatives, said the firm's reputation for having a tolerant culture was an important factor in choosing to come aboard laterally 10 years ago.
Corporate America in general and law firms in particular, Bloem said, are leading the way toward bringing equality to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees.
He noted that while states are passing amendments to prohibit same-sex marriage, companies are granting partnership benefits.
All 29 law firms in the report offer health insurance to same-sex partners, in addition to other benefits, such as bereavement and family leave policies.
"I think there has been a great deal of change over the past 25 years, which is a mirror of American culture," said Wetmore, who joined Morrison & Foerster in 1981. "Some firms are at the forefront, some are lagging behind."

Law firms had an average score of 87, well above the average score of 76 among all 446 organizations in the report. The tobacco industry had an average score of 90, the highest in the report.
The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian and gay political organization, which lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues.
Bloem said that all of the high-scoring companies were clustered on the coasts in the 2002 report, but that each year they are spread more evenly across the country.
Although the report shows significant gains, Segal said the gay and lesbian community still faces challenges.
"As in any other industry or profession, there are still some people in the legal community who simply don't like gay people and would prefer that we not be open about our identities," he said. "Fortunately, those who lead most major law firms seem to be enlightened and respectful of LGBT lawyers and staff, and most places are getting better as time goes on."