K&L Gates Earns 11th Consecutive Top Rating in HRC's Corporate Equality Index

Seattle - Global law firm K&L Gates LLP has once again earned a top score of 100 points on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the nation’s premier benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. This is the 11th consecutive time that K&L Gates has achieved a top score, as such also receiving the designation as a Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality by the organization for satisfying all of the CEI’s criteria.

The CEI rates companies and top law firms on detailed benchmarks falling under five broad categories: non-discrimination policies; employment benefits; demonstrated organizational competency and accountability around LGBTQ diversity and inclusion; public commitment to LGBTQ equality; and responsible citizenship.

Pallavi Wahi, K&L Gates’ co-managing partner, United States, and chairwoman of the firm’s diversity committee, said: “We’re thrilled to continue our success with another perfect score on HRC’s Corporate Equality Index for 11 years running. This recognition is the embodiment of the firm’s culture and commitment to diversity and inclusiveness.”

K&L Gates has received multiple recognitions in recent months and years for its commitment to opportunities for diverse lawyers, including being honored with a Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firm’s 2020 Diversity Award in the Law Firm Leadership category for K&L Gates’ racially or ethnically diverse lawyer representation on its executive committee and management; as the “Most Diverse Law Firm” in the Portland metro area by the Portland Business Journal; and with a Liberty and Hope Award from the Oregon League of Minority Voters. Other recent firm accolades have included a ninth Gold Standard Certification from the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF); an “Employer of Choice for Gender Equality” certification by the Australian Workplace Gender Equality Agency; and many individual awards and recognitions for the firm’s diverse lawyers.

K&L Gates also sponsors and participates in a number of other diversity-related programs, including the firm’s newly-launched Reconciliation Action Plan, an Australian initiative that provides access to justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organizations through the establishment and strengthening of relationships with, the fostering of greater respect for, and collaboration to create opportunities for individuals from these cultures. Among other organizations the firm supports are Diversity Council Australia, Equality Campaign Australia, the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA), the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL), the National Bar Association, the National LGBT Bar Association, and the Stonewall (UK) Global Diversity Champions Program, as well as various LGBTQ Pride events and initiatives around the globe.

To read more about K&L Gates’ commitment and approach to diversity and inclusion, please visit the firm’s website. For more information on the 2021 Corporate Equality Index, or to download a free copy of the report, visit www.hrc.org/cei.