Sedgwick Earns Perfect Score in Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index

Sedgwick Recognized as One of the Best Places to Work for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Employees

NEW JERSEY, September 2, 2008 - Sedgwick Detert Moran & Arnold LLP is pleased to announce it has earned a perfect score in the 2009 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), released on September 2 by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC). The CEI rates 583 businesses on a scale from 0 to 100 percent on their treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees, consumers and investors. The 259 top-rated businesses that earned a perfect score collectively employ more than 9 million full-time employees. These workers are protected from employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression because of their employers’ policies on diversity training, health care, and domestic partnership benefits.

“Every member of Sedgwick, as well as our clients, benefit from the creative legal thinking that emerges from a diverse organization,” said Sedgwick Chair Michael Tanenbaum. “Sedgwick is dedicated to advancing LGBT and all aspects of diversity throughout the Firm and celebrating the benefits of diversity with our clients and the communities in which we work and live.”

Sedgwick Diversity Committee Chair Craig Barnes attributes the firm’s perfect score on the CEI to policies that have been in place for some time at the firm. “Sedgwick already offered many of the benefits the HRC considers as part of the review process, including comprehensive medical and dental benefits to domestic partners, and a generous parental leave policy, regardless of the parent’s sexual orientation,” said Barnes. “We did not have to institute a single new policy to achieve a perfect score. However, credit goes to our LGBT Action Committee that took on the task of reporting our policies to the HRC.”

Sedgwick’s Diversity Committee, comprised of 10 partners from various offices, works closely with the firm’s practice group leaders and managing partners to ensure Sedgwick recruits, retains and advances diverse lawyers. The Diversity Committee also collaborates with Sedgwick’s Women’s Forum and the firm’s affinity groups, which offer targeted mentoring, communication, and advocacy on behalf of diverse attorneys. The affinity groups include the LGBT Action Committee, the African American Lawyers Forum, and the Asian American Lawyers Forum.