Herbert Smith Freehills named Stonewall Top 10 Global Employer for LGBT Inclusion

Herbert Smith Freehills has been recognised as one of the Top 10 global employers for LGBT inclusion by Stonewall, the UK's leading LGBT rights organisation, for promoting sexual orientation equality across its global network, and ranked 25th in Stonewall's Top 100 Workplace Equality Index 2016 - the eighth year in a row Herbert Smith Freehills has made it into this highly competitive ranking. 

The list is compiled from submissions to the Workplace Equality Index, a powerful benchmarking tool used by employers to create inclusive workplaces. In 2016 the list attracted the highest number of entries since the Index first opened in 2005. 

Herbert Smith Freehills' rankings were based on recognition of the firm's LGBT Network's impressive list of achievements and activities including: the annual LGBT Summer Party, a stand-out event in the City; participation in Divercity, a collaboration of eight law firms to attract LGBT graduates into the legal profession; Justin D'Agostino, Global Head of Disputes and Managing Partner for Asia, inclusion in the Outstanding in Business Financial Times Top 100 LGBT role models, year after year; and the wider diversity and inclusion programmes, including inclusive leadership training, monitoring via the diversity audit, senior visible leadership and policy review.

Senior Partner James Palmer said: "We are delighted once again to have been included in this prestigious global list. This accolade reflects our shared commitment to being a workplace where everyone is respected for who they really are and what they can do: support for LGBT inclusion is fundamental to our culture and ethos. I want to thank everyone at Herbert Smith Freehills for contributing to that culture, of which we are rightly proud. Diversity and inclusion remain core principles for our business and we are committed to improving still further in our focus on them."

Ruth Hunt, Chief Executive, Stonewall said:  “Herbert Smith Freehills and all of those employers that secured a place in the Stonewall Top 100 Employers 2016 list performed fantastically this year. We have had more submissions than ever before and so making the list is a huge achievement. I’d like to thank all of those organisations for their continued efforts to ensure that their lesbian, gay, bi and trans staff feel comfortable to bring their whole selves to work and are accepted without exception”.