Polsinelli PC issued the following announcement on Feb. 2.
Am Law 100 firm Polsinelli is proud to announce that it received a perfect score 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. This is Polsinelli’s third-consecutive year to earn a perfect score on the CEI report.
Polsinelli is among a record-breaking number of 676 major U.S. businesses earning 100 percent on the 2021 CEI and the designation of being one of the “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality.”
“Diversity and inclusion are among our core values at Polsinelli. They define our business and our culture,” said Polsinelli Chairman and CEO Chase Simmons. “I am proud of our firm for achieving another perfect score on the Corporate Equality Index annual scorecard. Creating an environment that is inclusive to all and where all persons can thrive personally and professionally, has been thoughtful and intentional.”
The results of this year’s CEI Index showcase how 1,142 U.S.-based ranking companies are not only promoting LGBTQ-friendly workplaces in the U.S., but helping advance the cause of LGBTQ inclusion in workplaces abroad. Polsinelli’s efforts in satisfying all the CEI’s criteria earned a 100 percent ranking and the designation as one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality.
The CEI rates employers and top law firms on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars: non-discrimination policies; equitable employment benefits; supporting an inclusive culture; and corporate social responsibility.
“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.”
Diversity and inclusion are core values of Polsinelli, used to inform, enlighten and shape strategy and actions that define the firm’s business. Polsinelli defines diversity to include people from various ethnic, religious, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability and socio-economic backgrounds. The firm defines inclusion as the comprehensive, coordinated and complete integration of all persons across the various sectors of its business enterprise as contributors, leaders and agents of change.
Polsinelli’s 100% CEI score comes on the heels of several recent accolades in the area of diversity and inclusion. This past October, the firm achieved the Mansfield Rule 3.0 Certification, which measures diversity in law firms and aims to boost diversity in leadership. The firm was also awarded the 2020 Gold Standard Certification by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF) for incorporating women into the highest levels of firm leadership. This was Polsinelli’s fourth time achieving the Gold Standard Certification.
This month, Polsinelli also appointed Philip G. Hampton, II as Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. The intellectual property lawyer in Washington, D.C. brings more than 40 years of legal and business experience to the role.
Original source can be found here.