Fried Frank Named Among "Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality" For Fifth Consecutive Year

NEW YORK, Nov. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP announced today that it has been named one of the "Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality," earning a perfect score on the Corporate Equality Index (CEI) for the fifth consecutive year. Annually administered by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the CEI survey is the premier national benchmark for measuring lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality (LGBT) in the workplace. Fried Frank is one of only 252 US companies to achieve a 100 percent rating.

The CEI report provides an in-depth analysis and rating of large US businesses and their policies and practices relevant to LGBT employees on a scale of 0 to 100 percent. Since the survey's inception in 2002, the CEI has become the gold standard for corporate policies and practices related to LGBT employees and their families. The survey rates companies on 40 such policies and practices. To achieve a perfect score and the distinction of "Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality," companies must have fully-inclusive equal employment opportunity policies, provide equal employment benefits, demonstrate organizational LGBT competence, publicly evidence their commitment to equality and exercise responsible citizenship.

Fried Frank received a 100 percent rating based on its policies and practices protecting LGBT employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression; diversity training; and health care and domestic partnership benefits, including tax gross-up benefits to LGBT employees for disparate tax costs related to their coverage of same-sex domestic partners, same-sex spouses and their children. Fried Frank is one of a small number of law firms and major corporations to address the legislative inequality that current tax laws have on LGBT employees due to the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

"Fried Frank is pleased to be recognized once again for our commitment to fostering LGBT equality – a core value of our Firm," said Douglas Flaum and Michelle Gold, co-chairs of the Firm's Diversity Committee.

The Firm proactively engages in a number of LGBT-related initiatives and efforts, including its signature annual Michael R. Diehl Civil Rights Forum, to which the Firm invites civil rights leaders to engage the Fried Frank community in discussion of their important work addressing LGBT-relevant topics. Fried Frank is also committed to supporting the LGBT community through its robust pro bono program, providing legal counsel with respect to issues ranging from family law, marriage equality, gender identity, political asylum and HIV status.

A total of 889 businesses were rated in this year's CEI, including the entire Fortune 500. Fried Frank has earned the top rating of 100 percent since 2006, the first year it participated in the survey.

View the full report at www.hrc.org/cei.

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP is a leading international law firm.   From its offices in New York, Washington, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Hong Kong and Shanghai, the Firm's more than 500 lawyers regularly serve the world's leading corporations and financial institutions with regard to their most critical legal needs and business opportunities.  More information about Fried Frank can be found at www.friedfrank.com.

SOURCE Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP