McDermott Partner Lisa A. Linsky To Receive Empire State Pride Agenda Foundation 2010 “Equality @ Work” Award
NEW YORK (March 10, 2010) — McDermott Will & Emery is pleased to announce that Lisa A. Linsky, Trial Partner in the Firm’s New York City office, has been selected to receive the Empire State Pride Agenda (ESPA) Foundation’s 2010 “Equality @ Work” Award. The award, which will be presented in New York City on June 16, 2010, recognizes Ms. Linsky’s leadership in helping to create a fair and equal workplace for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees. The Foundation’s “Pride in My Workplace” Program, of which the Award is a key part, encourages workplaces throughout New York State to be free of discrimination and to affirm the contributions of their LGBT employees.
Ms. Linsky is McDermott’s first partner-in-charge of Firm-wide Diversity, and she created and chairs the Firm-wide LGBT Diversity Committee. In these roles, she works closely with the chairs of the Firm's Gender and Racial & Ethnic Diversity Committees, as well the Chief Operating Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Directors of Professional Development, Legal Recruiting Managers, partners and other colleagues to reinforce an inclusive, professional environment for the long-term benefits of all McDermott colleagues and clients.
“I am honored to receive this meaningful award because it symbolizes the efforts McDermott has made to advance equality and inclusion throughout our Firm,” Ms. Linsky stated. “For four consecutive years, McDermott has been named one of the ‘Best Places to Work’ in the United States for LGBT employees by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the largest civil rights organization working to achieve LGBT equality. These achievements demonstrate our commitment as a diversity leader and advocate for equality regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression and identity.”
“The Pride Agenda Foundation has previously highlighted McDermott as a ‘success story’ in the second edition of its publication, Pride in My Workplace: Best Practices Guide for New York State Businesses to Support Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Employees,” Ms. Linsky added. “This latest recognition reaffirms the significance of our accomplishments and serves as a reminder that all employers must continue to create workplaces that reflect and embrace the richness and diversity of our society.”
McDermott has established diversity programs and practices which have helped the Firm to encourage a breadth of ideas, experiences, perspectives and insights that are necessary to meet the challenges of today's global economy. As part of that effort, in 2006, Ms. Linsky played a major role in helping the Firm revise its Diversity Statement and EEO policy, which had already covered sexual orientation, to include gender identity. Gender expression was later added as a protected class. In her diversity leadership positions, Ms. Linsky has fostered diversity training designed to educate Firm attorneys and staff about issues attendant to gender expression and identity and the challenges facing employees who transition in the workplace.
In addition to her diversity leadership, Ms. Linsky maintains a commercial litigation and trial practice and serves on McDermott’s Pro Bono and Community Service Committee. In recognition of her substantial pro bono activities, Ms. Linsky was recently chosen to receive the 2009 Empire State Counsel award, created to recognize “outstanding contribution” by members of the New York State Bar Association in performing 50 or more hours of free legal services to poor persons otherwise unable to afford legal services.
Ms. Linsky also is a Member and Officer of the Board of Directors for Lambda Legal, a national organization committed to supporting the civil rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender people and those living with HIV.
McDermott Will & Emery is a premier international law firm with a diversified business practice. Numbering more than 1,000 lawyers, the firm has offices in Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Düsseldorf, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan, Munich, New York, Orange County, Rome, San Diego, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. and also has a strategic alliance with MWE China Law Offices in Shanghai.
