Hundreds of executives and legal leaders will gather at the offices of Ropes & Gray LLP for the third session of the Out Leadership: U.S. 2018 LBGT+ Senior Summit, which is also sponsored by the firm.
Participants and panelists will discuss how companies are increasingly coordinating responses to legal challenges to the LGBT+ community across industries, and Out Leadership will launch its new Corporate Engagement Guidelines for LGBT+ Equality. Corporate and advocacy leaders will offer case studies illustrating how companies can engage on LGBT+ equality issues by instituting clear internal processes that can contribute to positive policy outcomes.
“At Ropes & Gray, one of our proudest moments came in 2015 when we worked with LGBT+ civil rights groups to successfully argue the landmark marriage equality case Obergefell v. Hodges,” said Brad Malt, Chair, Ropes & Gray. “That Supreme Court decision marked a turning point in America’s history as a nation founded on principles of liberty and equality. For all of us at the firm, it was a profound reminder of what we can accomplish when we work together to advance equality for all our people. We must continue to take advantage of forums such as these to mobilize our energy, thought leadership and resources in support of LGBT+ equality.”
“Because Out Leadership is situated precisely at the intersection between law firms, corporations, and LGBT+ advocacy groups, we’ve had a unique perspective on the rapidly expanding effort to engage corporations around LGBT+ equality,” said Todd Sears, Founder & Principal, Out Leadership. “We’ve seen well-intentioned organizations struggle to meaningfully engage around external LGBT+ issues, and we believe the Guidelines we’re publishing today provide a useful framework through which corporations can maximize their impact.”
“Increasingly, companies are pulled into the swift current of debate on social issues that can impact a corporation’s brand and bottom line. Businesses understand that employees and the general public expect companies to take meaningful actions that are in line with our values,” said Sally Susman, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Pfizer. “Relevant to the LGBT+ community is a company’s commitment to fairness, inclusion and non-discrimination. This Out Leadership report is an incredibly useful tool to help companies navigate these issues and develop business-focused strategies for how to respond.”