Crowell & Moring Receives 95 Percent Ranking On The Human Rights Campaign Foundation's 2009 Corporate Equality Index

Washington, D.C. October 15, 2008 - Crowell & Moring LLP is pleased to announce that the firm has received a 95 percent ranking on The Human Rights Campaign Foundation's (HRC) seventh annual Corporate Equality Index (CEI), released on September 2, 2008. The CEI is a tool developed and used by the HRC, America's largest civil rights organization focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality, to rate companies based on their treatment of and policies regarding GLBT employees, consumers and clients. The 2009 CEI rated 583 businesses (43 percent were Fortune 500 companies) on a scale from 0 to 100 percent on their treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees, consumers and investors.

"Crowell & Moring's 95 percent ranking on The Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index speaks to the firm's broader, ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusiveness that extends beyond numbers to all facets of firm life including recruiting, retention, and professional development, as well as outreach to the community and the legal profession," said Monica G. Parham, Crowell & Moring's diversity counsel. "Our continued success as a law firm depends on creating and maintaining a diverse team of talented professionals."

Ratings are based on a number of factors, including health care and family leave benefits for employees with same-sex partners, diversity training, GLBT employee groups and policies that prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or expression. The average rating of Fortune 500 companies on the CEI was 83 percent.

"The 2009 Corporate Equality Index shows that corporate America understands that a diverse workforce is critical to remaining successful and competitive," said HRC Foundation President Joe Solmonese. "In the absence of a federal law that prohibits workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, it is up to employers to take the lead and implement policies that ensure all their employees are protected."

The full report can be downloaded from HRC's website at www.hrc.org/cei.

Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with more than 450 lawyers practicing in litigation, antitrust, government contracts, health care, corporate, intellectual property and a variety of other practice areas. More than two-thirds of the firm's attorneys regularly litigate disputes on behalf of domestic and international corporations, start-up businesses, and individuals. Crowell & Moring's extensive client work ranges from advising on one of the world's largest telecommunications mergers to representing governments and corporations on international arbitration matters. Based in Washington, D.C., the firm also has offices in New York, London, Brussels, Los Angeles, and Irvine, CA.