Herbert Smith Freehills has been ranked as one of the best employers in the UK for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) staff in Stonewall's annual Top 100 Employers list.
Herbert Smith Freehills has been ranked as one of the best employers in the UK for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) staff in Stonewall's annual Top 100 Employers list.
The annual ranking celebrates the pioneering efforts of leading organisations to create inclusive workplaces and the firm has been ranked 24th, up one from the previous year. This is the ninth year in a row that Herbert Smith Freehills has been included in the Top 100 Employers, a powerful evidence-based benchmarking tool used by employers to assess their achievements and progress on LGBT equality in the workplace.
The Index ranks firms on the basis of their performances across ten areas of employment policy and practice, from training to community engagement, including employee feedback. This year a total of 17 law firms have been featured in Stonewall's Top 100 list, five more than last year.
Herbert Smith Freehills' rankings were based on recognition of the firm's LGBT Network's list of achievements and activities including: the LGBT network 10th Anniversary, celebrated last year at the annual LGBT Summer Party, a key client event for the firm with over 350 attendees; hosting panel and speaker events on topics including LGBT family matters and trans inclusion in the workplace; supporting Mermaids UK, a charity supporting gender variant children, teenagers and their families; and launching the global IRIS network as the firm's global LGBT network.
Ian Cox, Regional Managing Partner UK, US and EMEA, said:
"We are honoured to receive this recognition for the ninth consecutive year for our commitment to LGBT inclusion. Diversity and inclusion are central to our business and the firm's commitment to these core values is a long-term priority."
Duncan Bradshaw, Director of Membership Programmes, Stonewall said:
“Herbert Smith Freehills and all those who have made this year’s Top 100 Employers list have done a fantastic job, and really do put equality and inclusion at the forefront of their work. We were thrilled to have 439 submissions for this year’s Index, one of the most competitive yet, and I would like to thank each and every organisation that took part. With your continued efforts and hard work, we will continue to work toward a world where all lesbian, gay, bi and trans staff are welcomed and accepted without exception in their workplaces.”
About Herbert Smith Freehills
Operating from over 26 offices across Asia Pacific, EMEA and North America, Herbert Smith Freehills is at the heart of the new global business landscape providing premium quality, full-service legal advice. We provide many of the world’s most important organisations with access to market-leading dispute resolution, projects and transactional legal advice, combined with expertise in a number of global industry sectors, including energy, natural resources, infrastructure, technology and financial services. www.herbertsmithfreehills.com
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