For the Sixth Year in a Row, Lowenstein Sandler Scores 100 Percent on Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, an Annual Assessment of LGBTQ+ Workplace Equality

Lowenstein Sandler proudly announces that, for the sixth consecutive year, it has received a score of 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. Lowenstein joins the ranks of 842 major U.S. businesses that also earned top marks this year. 

The CEI rates companies on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars:

• Nondiscrimination policies across business entities
• Equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families
• Supporting an inclusive culture
• Corporate social responsibility 
  
  

Companies rated in the CEI include Fortune magazine’s 500 largest publicly traded businesses, American Lawyer magazine’s top 200 revenue-grossing law firms, and hundreds of publicly and privately held mid- to large-sized businesses. In total, 1,271 companies actively participated in the CEI 2022 Survey including 166 law firms. 

“Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion has been part of Lowenstein’s DNA since its founding. Whether through the expanding scope of our Employee Resource Groups or our parity of benefit offerings for  all kind of families, we are always seeking more ways to ensure that our firm is a place where professionals can thrive as their most authentic selves, “ says Gary M. Wingens, Chair and Managing Partner of the firm. “

Matthew P. Hintz, partner and co-Chair of the firm’s LGBTQ+ Alliance, adds: “Lowenstein enthusiastically supports the framework that the Human Rights Campaign provides to keep organizations accountable for providing employees with an inclusive workplace.”

Lowenstein’s efforts in satisfying all of the CEI’s criteria earned a 100 percent ranking and the designation as one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality. The firm offers employees a wide variety of resources and benefits, including:

• An LGBTQ+ Alliance resource group, which meets monthly and provides firm-wide training on LGBTQ+ issues; participates annually in the Lavender Law Conference & Career Fair; and celebrates Pride Month and Spirit Day through education, social, and community service events
• Equal parental leave and family building benefits for opposite-sex and same-sex couples
• Domestic partner benefits
• Purposeful sponsorship and coaching
• Gender-neutral parental leave for the birth or adoption of a child 
  
  

The Lowenstein Center for the Public Interest also supports LGBTQ+ causes through efforts such as collaborating with the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF) to represent low-income transgender people who want to change their legal names to better match their identities. Most recently, the center supported TLDEF and Garden State Equality’s successful effort to persuade the New Jersey Supreme Court to remove the publication requirement for name change applicants. The center is also fighting for policy change and damages on behalf of a transgender woman who was assaulted in the male unit of a jail. Until the new administration reversed the military’s transgender ban, the center also represented a class of aspiring and active transgender members of the military who sought to serve openly. 

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender, and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work, and in every community.

The full report is available online at www.hrc.org/cei.

About Lowenstein Sandler LLP
Lowenstein Sandler LLP is a national law firm with over 350 lawyers based in New York, Palo Alto, New Jersey, Utah, and Washington, D.C. The firm represents leaders in virtually every sector of the global economy, with particular emphasis on investment funds, life sciences, and technology. Recognized for its entrepreneurial spirit and high standard of client service, the firm is committed to the interests of its clients, colleagues, and communities.