Hughes Hubbard Earns Perfect Score in HRC's 2016 Corporate Equality Index

Hughes Hubbard received a perfect score of 100 percent on the 2016 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBT workplace equality, administered by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation.

The score marks the first time the firm has earned 100 percent since it began participating in the CEI in 2013, a result of the efforts of members of the Diversity Committee and the LGBT Attorney Affinity Group. HHR joins the ranks of nearly 400 major U.S. businesses which also earned top marks this year.
 
"We are proud to be recognized as a top employer for the LGBT community," said Diane Lifton, co-chair of the firm's Diversity Committee. "Diversity has been part of our DNA since our founding more than a century ago. Earning a perfect score on the Corporate Equality Index is a testament to our commitment to the values of diversity and inclusion."
 
The achievement comes as the firm revamps its Diversity Committee in an effort to strengthen workplace equality. The committee has enlisted counsel and associates to help lead the effort and formed new subcommittees focused on mentoring, recruiting, retention, outreach and affinity groups.
 
"Earning a perfect score on the Corporate Equality Index is a testament to our commitment to the values of diversity and inclusion."
 
The 2016 CEI rated more than 1,000 businesses in the report, which evaluates LGBT-related policies and practices, including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs and public engagement with the LGBT community. HHR's efforts in satisfying all of the CEI's criteria results in a 100 percent ranking and the designation as a Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality.
 
"Since the firm started its LGBT affinity group four years ago, the firm has striven to improve its commitment to LGBT diversity with several initiatives to promote equality and inclusiveness," said Meaghan Gragg, chair of the firm's LGBT Attorney Affinity Group. "This perfect score fulfills our goal of putting the firm on equal footing with its peers in terms of recruiting and retaining talent and attracting clients who prioritize diversity."
 
Of the 156 law firms surveyed by HRC in 2015, 95 received a perfect score, according to the report, which drew headlines in The American Lawyer and Law360. 
 
The HRC is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality.