Jenner & Block has a long-standing tradition of supporting its LGBT individuals as well as LGBT civil rights. From maintaining an open and inclusive work environment to participating as counsel in landmark LGBT civil liberties cases, the Firm’s commitment to LGBT diversity is remarkable.
LGBT Diversity at Jenner & Block
The Firm supports its LGBT people in a variety of ways. Our commitment to maintaining a diverse workplace is embodied in the fabric of the Firm, as well as in our policies. Jenner & Block's Equal Employment Opportunity Policy states:
It is the policy of the Firm that no employee shall be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital, veteran or parental status, disability (except where related to ability to perform the job), or any other ground prohibited by law.
This and other Firm policies resulted in the Human Rights Campaign's decision to honor Jenner & Block in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 with a 100% perfect rating in its closely watched “Corporate Equality Index” survey. In 2005, the Firm was the first Chicago-headquartered law firm and only the fourth nationwide to earn a 100% rating. In 2003, Jenner & Block was among the first law firms to be voluntarily rated by the HRC for its treatment of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals it employs.
In its recently released 2010 rankings, Vault ranked Jenner & Block as the number one law firm in the country for “Diversity for Gays and Lesbians.” The Firm has been among Vault’s top five firms for LGBT diversity for the past six years.
The Firm also supports its LGBT members through the Jenner & Block LGBT Forum affinity group. Among other things, this affinity group is spearheading an effort with other organizations, in particular the National Lesbian & Gay Law Association, to ensure that inclusion of gay and lesbian attorneys is part of promoting diversity within our profession. As an outgrowth of the LGBT Forum’s work in this area, a Jenner & Block partner has recently agreed to chair the NLGLA’s committee on gay and lesbian diversity in the profession.
LGBT Diversity in the Community
Jenner & Block is proud to have been a part of some of the most important LGBT civil rights cases in a generation.
The Firm worked alongside the Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas, which forever altered the LGBT civil rights landscape. Partner Paul M. Smith successfully argued before the Court in March 2003 on behalf of two male petitioners who had challenged the constitutionality of a Texas anti-sodomy law that criminalized only same-sex conduct, not identical conduct by different-sex couples. The High Court’s decision reversed a 1986 ruling upholding sodomy laws. In the Court’s decision, Justice Kennedy concluded that homosexuals have “the full right to engage in private conduct without government intervention.”
The Chicago Tribune summed up the importance of Lawrence v. Texas by estimating that “the Court’s decision could be among the most significant civil rights rulings in years, with implications for homosexuals’ efforts to be treated equally in the workplace and in child custody decisions.”
Jenner & Block continues to take an active role as counsel in matters of concern to the greater LGBT community, including on issues of marriage equality and custodial rights. The Firm is one of the first supporters of the passage of the Illinois Civil Union Bill. Several Jenner & Block Partners serve on national and local boards of organizations dedicated to advancing LGBT rights.
LGBT Diversity in the Profession and the Workplace
The Firm supports LGBT diversity in the legal profession in many ways. Jenner & Block is a national sponsor of the Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund, the national organization committed to defending the civil rights of LGBT and HIV positive people. The Firm also serves as a perennial national sponsor of Lambda Legal’s Bon Foster Civil Rights Celebration in Chicago. That popular event is named after one-time Jenner & Block Associate Robert Bonvouloir “Bon” Foster, who died of AIDS-related causes in September 1991. Through his bequest to Lambda, he helped establish its Midwest Regional Office in Chicago.
In addition, the Firm is an annual sponsor of the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association’s Lavender Law conference, which brings together some of the country’s leading lawyers to discuss the cutting-edge legal issues affecting LGBT individuals.
Communicating LGBT Diversity
Jenner & Block is one of the few law firms in the country that communicates about its diverse workforce and diversity issues through Firm-sponsored publications. Equal Time, the Firm’s diversity newsletter, includes stories about the accomplishments of Jenner & Block diverse attorneys; legal view points from diverse attorneys and/or clients; the pro bono and community service the Firm may be providing on matters relating to women, minorities or LGBT communities; and other issues of interest.
Jenner & Block was one of the first law firms to publish a Firm-sponsored publication on LGBT diversity. To view issues of Equal Time – LGBT Community Service, please click the links below:
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