For additional information, contact:
Julie Cole
jcole@quarles.com
(414) 277-5212
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (September 15, 2009) — The national law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP is pleased to announce that it has achieved a 100 percent rating on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s 2010 Corporate Equality Index.
The HRC is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality. The 2010 Index, released today, rated a total of 590 private employers in various industries on a scale of 0 to 100 percent on their treatment of LGBT employees.
“As we continue to incorporate diversity into the core of our business strategy, we have used the HRC Corporate Equality Index as one of our key benchmarks,” said John W. Daniels Jr., chairman of Quarles & Brady. “Our Firm is committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all employees. We are consistently fine-tuning our programs and policies to address the needs of the LGBT community, while at the same time supporting the LGBT communities within our cities through memberships and sponsorships. We are very pleased to receive a 100% score on the Index as one indication of the success of our efforts to embrace 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. Specific criteria for evaluation included whether employers 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. The full report is available at http://www.hrc.org/cei.
Quarles & Brady has received several diversity-related awards this year. Earlier this month, Firm partner Christina Hernandez-Malaby was named “National Latina Attorney of the Year” by the Hispanic National Bar Association. Last month, the Firm was honored among the “Top 50 Best Law Firms for Women” by Working Mother Magazine and the Flex-Time Lawyers organization. The Firm also fared among the top five firms nationally in the Vault surveys of associates, including Best Law Firms for Diversity (# 4), Best in Diversity for Women (# 2) and Best in Diversity for Minorities (# 4).
Quarles & Brady LLP is a full-service law firm with more than 450 attorneys practicing from offices in Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.; Chicago, Ill.; Naples, Fla.; and Milwaukee and Madison, Wis. The firm offers an array of legal services to corporate and individual clients that range from small entrepreneurial businesses to Fortune 100 companies. Additional information about the firm may be found at http://www.quarles.com.
