Out@Sidley

Sidley’s commitment to diversity includes issues affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. Sidley was one of the first large law firms to provide health insurance benefits to employees’ same-sex domestic partners, and our nondiscrimination policy explicitly forbids discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender expression/identity. Openly LGBT lawyers currently practice in each of the firm’s domestic offices, serve on the Diversity Committee and are actively involved in legal organizations such as the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association. Sidley is and has been a national sponsor of the Lambda Legal Defense Fund, and participates each year in the Lavender Law Career Fair. Sidley’s pro bono commitment included bidding on and being awarded all of the outside counsel work for Gay Games VII, held in Chicago in the summer of 2006. 

Sidley also received a ‘perfect’ 100 score on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) reports. The CEI evaluates companies based on their policies and programs which provide parity and support for their LGBT employees.  The firm was also named to Human Rights Campaign’s annual list of “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality,” a distinction that is awarded to businesses that scored 100% on the CEI report. Sidley was also named to Equality Illinois’ 2010 list of the ten most “LGBT-friendly” law firms doing business in Illinois, in recognition of the firm’s achievements toward LGBT workplace equality.

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