Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Initiatives
Our Commitment
Dewey & LeBoeuf's roster of lawyers includes LGBT lawyers at all levels of seniority, from partners and counsel to associates and summer associates. We strive to create a welcoming environment, and to provide professional resources and networking opportunities for our LGBT attorneys worldwide.
For example, our firm-wide LGBT Affinity Group includes lawyers at all levels of seniority from our offices around the world. The group meets regularly to discuss matters of interest to the LGBT legal community. The Affinity Group represents the firm at fundraising and charity events, coordinates firm participation in pro bono legal opportunities and organizes formal and informal social events for LGBT attorneys at Dewey & LeBoeuf. The Affinity Group also meets with firm leadership to discuss ways to enhance the retention and professional development of LGBT lawyers.
"In my 21 years at the firm, I have always found it to be a welcoming place for an LGBT attorney to practice law. Life partners are welcome guests at firm events and the firm has been supportive of attorneys working with LGBT organizations."
Dean Hansell, Partner
Los Angeles Office
"For someone of my generation, the openness of the firm and its sensitivity to gay and lesbian concerns are remarkable. As a gay man I feel comfortable in the firm's working environment, and my partner and I feel welcome as a couple at firm functions."
Stanton Lovenworth, Partner
New York Office
"When I married my wife earlier this year, every partner that I work with was there to celebrate with us. My sexual orientation has always been a non-issue at the firm."
Jocelyn C. Bramble, Associate
Washington, DC Office
Retention and Professional Development
Our firm also acts as an official sponsor to several advocacy organizations that focus on LGBT issues and supports the efforts of individual lawyers to pursue related initiatives. In addition, members of the Affinity Group serve on the firm-wide Associates Relations Committee and as such advise firm leadership on ways to enhance the retention and professional development of gay and lesbian lawyers at Dewey & LeBoeuf.
Feel free to contact Christiani Franck, Stan Lovenworth, Patrick MacMurray, Adrienne Mundy-Shephard, Suman Chakraborty, or any member of the firm's Diversity Committee.
Reaching Out to the Community
The firm organizes, sponsors and attends a number of events that support gay and lesbian causes, including:
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The Annual ACLU Lesbian & Gay Rights Project Summer Lawyer Reception in New York;
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The Lambda Legal Annual Liberty Award National Dinner;
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The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Law Association Foundation of New York Annual Dinner; and
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The National Lesbian and Gay Law Foundation Lavender Law Conference.
Moreover, individual attorneys within the firm also regularly participate in several professional, civil rights and advocacy organizations, including The Financial Services Industry Exchange (F-Six), The National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, The Empire State Pride Agenda, The Human Rights Campaign and The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. One of our firm associates currently serves as a co-chair and secretary of the New York City Bar Association's Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights.
Legal Representation
Dewey & LeBoeuf lawyers have played leading roles in lending our skills and resources to both individuals and community organizations in need of help.
Matters involving the LGBT community have included:
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Working with the American Civil Liberties Union's Lesbian and Gay Rights Project to prepare an amicus brief supporting a New York City Council proposal for benefits to same-sex partners;
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Drafting an amicus curiae brief challenging New York's exclusion of same-sex couples from the right to marry under the interpretation of existing state law; and
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Representing an HIV-positive man from Guinea seeking asylum in the United States in cooperation with Immigration Equality.
Benefits
Our firm provides health benefits and other benefits (including life insurance) to our employees' domestic partners and their children, and has done so since the early 1990s.
In the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's CEI 2008 survey, the firm scored a perfect 100 out of 100.