Preface

1. Introduction
   1. Task Force Formation and Charge
   2. How the Study Was Conducted
   3. The Survey Results
   4. The Narrative Comments
2. Findings
   1. Hiring, Career Advancement, Compensation/Benefits
      1. Some employers intentionally discriminate against lesbian and gay job candidates because of their sexual orientation; few make an effort to include gays and lesbians in the pool of applicants
      2. Sexual orientation may hinder a lesbian or gay lawyer's professional advancement; some employers discriminate against lesbian and gay lawyers because of their sexual orientation
      3. Lesbian and gay lawyers are under-represented as partners in law firms, which has negative consequences in terms of compensation as well as professional advancement
      4. Many lesbian and gay lawyers receive a less valuable compensation package than their heterosexual counterparts because they are not accorded the same family health insurance and other benefits available to heterosexual lawyers
   2. Daily Worklife
      1. Derogatory comments about lesbians and gay men appear to be not uncommon, and to be considered acceptable in some legal workplaces
      2. Some lawyers, clients and staff refuse to work with lawyers whom they know or believe to be lesbian or gay
      3. Lesbian and gay lawyers are sometimes advised to conceal their sexual orientation or to alter their appearance to look less stereotypically gay
   3. Other Workplace Issues
      1. Many gay and lesbian lawyers believe it would be detrimental to their careers for them to be openly gay or lesbian
      2. Most heterosexuals do not share the view that being openly gay or lesbian would be detrimental to a lawyer's career
      3. Some heterosexual lawyers appear to confuse a lawyer's being openly gay or lesbian with inappropriate workplace discussion of one's sex life
      4. Gay and lesbian lawyers often seem "invisible" to their heterosexual colleagues in the workplace
      5. Some gay and lesbian lawyers appear to face additional discrimination because of their sex and/or race
   4. Anti-Discrimination Measures
      1. Many employers lack written policies prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientatioin
      2. Even those employers with written policies prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation do not always make those policies well-known to their employees
      3. Few legal workplaces make a deliberate effort to make gay and lesbian lawyers feel comfortable in the workplace, e.g., through diversity training
   5. Positive Workplace Experiences
   6. Respondents' Comments On Their Task Force's Charge and Its Sponsorship by the D.C. Bar
   7. Conclusion
3. Recommendations
   1. Recommendations for Employers
      1. Hiring, Advancement, Compensation/Benefits
         1. Adopt, implement and enforce a written policy prohibiting employment discrimination based on sexual orientation
         2. Sensitize hiring committees about sexual orientation discrimination, and if possible, include gay and lesbian lawyers on such committees
         3. Notify gay and lesbian law student organizations and other gay and lesbian legal organizations of job openings
         4. Include information pertinent to gay and lesbian lawyers and law students in written recruiting materials
         5. Be aware of potential sexual orientation discrimination in lawyer evaluations and career advancement and sensitize evaluators to such discrimination
         6. Support involvement in gay and lesbian professional associations in the same manner as the employer treats involvementin other professional associations
         7. Make available to gay and lesbian lawyers, their partners and their partners' children the same health care, sick leave, parental leave and other benefits available to heterosexual lawyers and their spouses and children
            • Health care benefits
            • Parental leave/child care
            • Bereavement and caretaking leave
            • Pension and survivor benefits
         8. Ensure that all lawyers are aware of the existence of anti-discrimination and other human resource policies
      2. Daily Work Environment
         1. Prohibit derogatory comments about gays and lesbians and discipline those who make them
         2. Decline to countenance refusals to work with gay and lesbian lawyers that are based on their sexual orientation
         3. Encourage partners of gay and lesbian lawyers to attend firm and office functions
         4. Include the subject of sexual orientation in diversity training
         5. Engage in pro bono work on behalf of gay and lesbian causes and concerns and publicize that work on the same terms as other pro bono efforts
         6. Include same-sex partners in any firm or organization literature or roster that includes heterosexual spouses, and announce achievements and events affecting gay and lesbian lawyers in firm or organization literature in the same manner as achievements and events affecting heterosexual lawyer
   2. Recommendations for the D.C. Bar
      1. Publish, Promote and Widely Disseminate This Report
      2. Publicize the Existence of, and Make Available to Legal Employers, Information That Will Assist Them in the Implementation of the Recommendations of this Report
      3. Sponsor Continuing Legal Education Programs Addressing Issues of Importance to Gay and Lesbian Lawyers
      4. Include Gay and Lesbian Representation on Bar Committees and Task Forces and in Bar Leadership
      5. Advocate a Similar Study of Bias in the District of Columbia Courts
   3. Conclusion