Via the Washington Blade, I found this business news story in the Chicago Tribune (http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-070607gay-lawyers-story,0,5667399.story?coll=chi-bizfront-hed)Gay. Would that there were progressive firms like some of the ones named in the article in this area. I guess we simply do not have any "elite firms" in the area:
"Today, elite law firms are behaving as good elites should," says Keith Wetmore, 50, a gay lawyer who is chairman of the San Francisco-based firm Morrison & Foerster LLP. "They've become culturally sensitive."The number of openly gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered lawyers increased by more than 50 percent from 2002 to 2006, according to the National Association for Law Placement.
The Washington-based nonprofit group compiles an annual directory of data from about 700 large U.S. law firms. They reported 1,733 openly gay lawyers in 2006, up from about 1,100 four years earlier. Openly gay lawyers represent 1.8 percent of associates and 1.1 percent of partners.
The increase is driven partly by corporate clients, says Jeff Morof, managing partner of Bryan Cave's Chicago office. More than a dozen have asked the firm for a commitment to diversity, which Bryan Cave defines as hiring without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability."
In the last few years, clients are paying a lot more attention to diversity," says Morof, 52, who has recruited gays and lesbians since 1999 for Bryan Cave, which has 735 lawyers. "We couldn't afford to go on doing business as usual."Many Fortune 500 companies now demand diversity. In 2003, Sara Lee Corp., of Downers Grove, Illinois, began tracking its law firms' hiring and promotion of women and minorities. General Counsel Roderick Palmore wrote a statement encouraging all U.S. law firms and corporate counsel to commit to diversity.
That "call to action" has been signed by more than 90 companies, including New York-based Verizon Communications Inc., the second-biggest U.S. phone company, and Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer.
Part of this area's problem is (1) a lack of large Fortune 500 companies based in the area, (2) the presence of Christianist like Pat Robertson and the kool-aid drinkers at Regent University, and (3) the homophobic military leadership in the area. Of course, it's a vicious cycle - the absence of diversity discourages progressive companies from moving to the area. Hopefully, HRBOR's creation and future efforts will help to better market the area.
No comments:
Post a Comment