I have heard from a "diverse attorney legal search firm" about this post (see comment below). 

Though this post was and is meant to be tongue-in-cheek and although the presence of under-represented "minorities" (including women) in law firm practice is a very serious subject, I note from a survey posted on Mr. Jordan's web site here  that Heller earned a "B" on its African American Greenlining Associate "Report Card." 

(above:  diversity and rocket science)

I'm certain my husband's law firm, Heller Ehrman, won't care that I've just now invented and awarded to Heller, Settle It Now's Diversity of the Year Award.

Heller does care however that the Human Rights Campaign has bestowed upon it the HRC's top rating for the second year in a row.  Heller's announcement below:

Heller Receives Top Diversity Rating For Second Year in a Row

(SAN FRANCISCO) September 18, 2007 – Heller Ehrman LLP announced that the firm has achieved the top rating in the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index.

Now in its sixth year, the survey is an annual listing that measures how equitably companies are treating their gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) employees, consumers and investors. Heller Ehrman was among 195 major U.S.-based companies, 30 of which were law firms, earning a rating of 100 percent. This is the second consecutive year the firm has achieved a 100 percent rating.

“We take very seriously our long-standing commitment to promoting a work environment that celebrates the diversity of all individuals,” said Judith C. Miles, managing director of people at Heller Ehrman. “We are very proud to earn this recognition from the Human Rights Campaign for the second year in a row.”

The Index was released today by the HRC as part of a report showing that a record number of the largest U.S. companies are expanding benefits and protections for their GLBT employees and consumers. The number of companies achieving a 100 percent rating is up from 138 in 2006. When the index was first released in 2002, only 13 companies, employing 690,000 workers, received the top rating. For a copy of the Index and HRC’s report, visit www.hrc.org/cei.

“More businesses than ever before have recognized the value of a diverse and dedicated workforce,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “More importantly, these employers understand that discrimination against GLBT workers will ultimately hurt their ability to compete in the global marketplace.”

The 2007 analysis covers 519 surveyed companies and measures the extent to which employers protect their GLBT employees. The Index rated companies on a scale of 0 to 100 percent on several factors, including non-discrimination policies, diversity training and benefits for domestic partners and transgender employees. . . . .

The firm has also played a major role in litigation concerning the GLBT community. For example:

• Heller Ehrman represented law schools and law professors in bringing a challenge to the constitutionality of the Solomon Amendment, which threatens universities and colleges with loss of all federal funds if they exclude military recruiters from campus or refuse to assist them in their recruiting efforts. Heller Ehrman was lead counsel when the case was argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Heller Ehrman has been involved in a nationwide effort in supporting same-sex marriage with litigation in California, Washington and New York. Cases in California and New York relate to the same-sex marriages performed by Gavin Newsom, the Mayor of San Francisco, and Jason West, the Mayor of New Paltz, New York. In Washington state Heller Ehrman wrote an amicus brief on behalf of a group of historians in the same-sex marriage case, Andersen v. King County.
• Heller Ehrman brought a class action lawsuit against a telecommunications company challenging the company’s anti-gay employment policies and practices that had been in place since 1970. A landmark settlement of the case resulted in significant monetary compensation for class members and changes in the employment practices at issue.

CONGRATULATIONS HELLER. 

I'm pretty sure I have some old Hellerware -- t-shirts, flip flops, beach bags, polo shirts, hoodies and the like that I can bronze for formal presentation of the Settle It Now Diversity of the Year Award. 

Stay tuned!