Stoel Rives earns 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s annual assessment of LGBTQ workplace equality
PORTLAND, Ore. — Stoel Rives LLP, an Am Law 200 law firm, is proud to announce that it received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. Stoel Rives is one of 767 major U.S. businesses that earned top marks this year.
“The CEI score is wonderful recognition for the firm’s continuing efforts to make everyone here feel welcome, including our LGBTQ colleagues,” said Karen O’Connor, chair of Stoel Rives’ Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. “However, we recognize that our work continues, and the firm remains committed to elevating the ways in which we support our LGBTQ lawyers and staff.”
“From the previously unimaginable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, to a long overdue reckoning with racial injustice, 2020 was an unprecedented year. Yet, many businesses across the nation stepped up and continued to prioritize and champion LGBTQ equality,” said Alphonso David, Human Rights Campaign President. “This year has shown us that tools like the CEI are crucial in the work to increase equity and inclusion in the workplace, but also that companies must breathe life into these policies and practices in real and tangible ways. Thank you to the companies that understand protecting their LGBTQ employees and consumers from discrimination is not just the right thing to do — but the best business decision.”
The results of this year’s CEI showcase how 1142 U.S.-based companies are not only promoting LGBTQ-friendly workplace policies in the U.S. but helping advance the cause of LGBTQ inclusion in workplaces abroad. The CEI rates employers providing these crucial protections to more than 18 million U.S. workers and an additional 17 million abroad. Stoel Rives’ efforts in satisfying all the CEI’s criteria earned the firm a score of 100 and the designation as one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality.
The CEI rates companies and top law firms on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars:
- Nondiscrimination policies across business entities.
- Equitable benefits for LGBTQ workers and their families.
- Supporting an inclusive culture.
- Corporate social responsibility.
The full report is available online at http://www.hrc.org/cei.