Arnold & Porter Named To Human Rights Campaign's Top GLBT Places To Work In Corporate America For The Third Consecutive Year

Washington, DC, September 2, 2008 -- For the third consecutive year Arnold & Porter LLP has achieved a perfect score from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) through placement on its 2009 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), which rates businesses on a scale from 0 to 100 percent for their treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) workers. In the CEI’s seventh annual report, an unprecedented 259 businesses achieved a perfect score, a one-third increase over last year. Law firms achieved the highest gain in any industry sector, with a total of 64 listed. Arnold & Porter, however, was one of only 12 law firms ranked the first year law firms were invited to participate in the CEI in 2006, and has been rated 100% since then.

“The 2009 Corporate Equality Index shows that corporate America understands that a diverse workforce is critical to remaining successful and competitive,” said HRC Foundation President Joe Solmonese. “In the absence of a federal law that prohibits workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, it is up to employers to take the lead and implement policies that ensure all their employees are protected.”

Diversity is a core value at Arnold & Porter and the firm seeks to promote the treatment of every person with respect and dignity. Arnold & Porter specifically includes sexual orientation and gender identity in its employment nondiscrimination policy. The firm offers medical, dental, vision, and dependent life insurance benefits to domestic partners of all employees. The firm has family-friendly benefits that positively impact the GLBT community, including payments to help defray the costs associated with adopting a child, as well as providing 18 weeks of paid leave for the primary caregiver after the birth of a child or an adoption. GLBT attorneys regularly meet to provide mentoring, discuss pro bono opportunities, socialize, and organize recruiting events. As part of the firm’s renowned pro bono program, Arnold & Porter actively encourages attorneys to assume responsibility for cases involving issues of importance to the GLBT community. The firm enjoys collaborative efforts throughout the year with numerous organizations and bar associations in the GLBT community, including GAYLAW, Lambda Legal, and the Whitman-Walker Clinic.

Arnold & Porter consistently ranks among the top firms in the country for women, racial minority, and gay and lesbian attorneys. Widely recognized for its commitment to GLBT issues, Arnold & Porter has garnered the Ally of Justice Award from the Human Rights Campaign as well as from the Gay and Lesbian Attorneys Association of Washington, and is ranked among the top 20 US firms for “Best in Diversity with Respect to GLBT” in the 2009 edition of the Vault Guide to the Top 100 Law Firms.