Kirkland & Ellis LLP Receives Perfect Score on HRC’s 2010 Corporate Equality Index

Kirkland & Ellis LLP announced today that it has once again received a perfect 100 percent score on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) 2010 Corporate Equality Index and Best Places to Work survey. This marks the third year in a row that the Firm received a perfect score on the survey.

The Corporate Equality Index is a tool used by the HRC - America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality - to rate companies on how well they treat their LGBT employees, consumers and clients. Companies who are awarded a score of 100 are considered to be among the most inclusive and fair-minded in their industry.

In this year's report, an unprecedented 88 law firms achieved 100 percent ratings, eclipsing every other industry represented in the annual survey. Twenty-eight additional firms earned ratings of 80 percent or more.

"Even in an economic environment that has presented new challenges for lawyers in private practice, the nation's largest and most prestigious law firms have only stepped up their commitment to recruiting and retaining a diverse group of attorneys and staff," said HRC Foundation President Joe Solmonese. "Legal work in this country is deeply rooted in our nation's core values of equality and justice for all, and law firms continue to set the gold standard for treating their LGBT employees fairly."

In January 2009, Kirkland and Firm client The Boeing Company received the HRC's first-ever "Award for Workplace Equality Innovation." The award honors businesses for a specific program that makes a positive difference to LGBT employees. Kirkland was recognized for its ALLSA Initiative, a program that formalizes the Firm's outreach to LGBT, racial/ethnic minority and women law students by matching Kirkland attorney liaisons with diverse student organizations across the country. Boeing was recognized along with Kirkland for its groundbreaking gender transition program.

"We are proud of the recognition we have received from the HRC and of the great strides our Firm has made, in both policy and practice, to ensure that LGBT attorneys have the essential mentoring, networking and business development opportunities they need to succeed at the Firm," said Kirkland New York Partner Andrew Nagel, chair of the Firmwide Diversity Committee's LGBT Subcommittee.
 

The 2010 Corporate Equality Index rated a total of 590 private employers in various industries. A full copy of the report and all ratings can be found at www.hrc.org/cei. Kirkland will be honored along with the other companies who received a 100 percent score at the Corporate Equality Index awards reception in spring 2010.

About Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Kirkland & Ellis LLP is a law firm with approximately 1,500 lawyers representing global clients in complex litigation and dispute resolution/arbitration, corporate and tax, restructuring, and intellectual property and technology matters. The Firm has offices in Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Shanghai* and Washington, D.C.

*Shanghai office expected to open in November 2009 pending regulatory approval.