For Seventh Consecutive Year Orrick Earns Perfect Score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index

November.14.2012

Orrick earned a perfect score of 100 percent for the seventh consecutive year in the 2013 Human Rights Campaign Foundation's (HRC) annual Corporate Equality Index (CEI) and Best Places to Work survey. Orrick's top rating places it among a select group of U.S. businesses and law firms that received high marks for their treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees and customers.

This year, the CEI rated a total of 889 companies, including 141 law firms of which only half received perfect scores, by evaluating their LGBT-related policies and practices, including nondiscrimination policies, transgender health benefits, and domestic partner benefits. The CEI rates law firms on 40 specific policies and practices. To achieve a perfect score and the coveted distinction of “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality,” firms must have fully-inclusive equal employment opportunity policies, provide equal employment benefits, demonstrate organizational LGBT competency, evidence their commitment to equality publicly and exercise responsible citizenship.

"Orrick is truly honored to be recognized by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's CEI, the premiere national benchmark for LGBT workplace inclusion," said Lorraine McGowen, partner and chair of Orrick's Diversity and Inclusion Initiative. "The firm has a long-standing commitment to promoting the rights and interests of the LGBT community through its pro bono program, diversity and inclusion initiative, community responsibility initiative and by its creating policies, benefits and programs that foster the professional development and retention of our diverse lawyers and staff."

A recognized leader on diversity, Orrick was among one of the first law firms to have a diversity and inclusion program and to offer domestic partner benefits, including fully inclusive transgender benefits.

Orrick actively supports the LGBT community through a combination of pro bono legal services, financial contributions and volunteerism. The firm also encourages lawyers to participate in minority and LGBT professional associations by paying membership dues and sponsoring events. Additionally, Orrick's LGBT affinity groups sponsor social events and develop programs of interest to the LGBT community, as well as advise firm leadership on ways to enhance the retention and professional development of LGBT lawyers.

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Lorraine McGowen Partner, Restructuring, Bankruptcy Litigation

New York

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Finance Sector
Restructuring
Bankruptcy Litigation
Municipal Restructuring and Insolvency
Energy & Infrastructure
Mergers & Acquisitions
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Higher Education and Student Loan Financing
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Lorraine McGowen Partner

New York

Lorraine brings 30+ years of legal experience in bankruptcies, out-of-court restructurings, sovereign debt restructurings and creditors' rights controversies. She interfaces with auditors, government regulators, investment bankers and others, and develops and implements mediation and litigation strategies, and negotiates reorganization plans and complex corporate and finance documents. She also regularly provides commercial law and bankruptcy advice in connection with securitization, M&A, energy & infrastructure and general corporate transactions.

Lorraine has represented various stakeholders in bankruptcies, workouts, distressed debt transactions, sovereign debt restructurings, bankruptcy litigation, derivatives, and distressed acquisition matters such as Suriname, Belize, Puerto Rico, Takata Corporation, Windstream, GTT, Brazos Electric Power Cooperative, Lehman, MF Global, Indiana Toll Road, Chemtura Corporation, Tronox Incorporated, South Bay Expressway, American Dream School, Detroit, General Motors, and Stone & Webster.

Lorraine is a member of Orrick's Management Committee and is Partner in Charge of its global DEI Initiatives. She previously served two terms on the firm’s 11-member Board of Directors and also previously chaired its Restructuring Group.

As a leading DEI advocate, Lorraine creates programs for the legal profession and the community. She was selected as a 2019 Rainmaker by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) and as one of Savoy Magazine’s Most Influential Black Lawyers for 2022, 2018 and 2015 and received Legal Outreach’s Pipeline to Diversity 2017 Champion Award and the New York City Bar Association Diversity and Inclusion 2012 Champion Award. IFLR1000 Rankings named Lorraine a leading lawyer in the U.S. She was selected by Direct Women to be a 2016 Board Institute member. She is a frequent speaker and author on bankruptcy and insolvency and diversity and inclusion.

Among her community involvement, she is a former Vice President and Board Member of the New York City Bar Association and currently co-chairs the City Bar's Digital Assets Task Force. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession and the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, where she is chair of the board, and on the Advisory Committees for Legal Outreach and the Vance Center for International Justice of the City Bar, where she serves as co-chair of the Advisory Committee of the Vance Center.