By Gary Barlow

Staff writer

Some 150 attendees heard Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke discuss the evolving diversity of the legal profession at the third annual Lawyers for Diversity Mid-Summer Barbecue July 26 at Sidetrack in Lakeview.

“The legal profession is…more responsive, more talented and certainly more diverse than it ever was,” Burke said, recounting how the opportunities for advancement for women, gays and others have opened up in the practice of law in the years since she joined the bar.

“We are who we are—straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered,” Burke said.

Speaking to an audience largely made up of GLBT lawyers and judges, Burke praised them for enriching the profession in Chicago.

“You certainly give our profession the virtue it needs from your tolerance and from sharing your gifts with us,” she said. “It is revolutionizing our profession.”

The event served as a benefit for several organizations—Center on Halsted, Equality Illinois, the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago and Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.

LAGBAC’s Jeremy Gottschalk noted recent advancements in GLBT diversity detailed in a new Equality Illinois survey of Chicago-area law firms. Most of the firms that responded—92 percent—now have a GLBT-specific nondiscrimination policy and 100 percent said they provide healthcare coverage for employees’ same-sex partners. Gender identity protections surged since last year’s survey—44 percent of the firms responding said they have a nondiscrimination policy covering gender identity. Only 25 percent had such a policy a year ago.

Among the responding firms, Jenner & Block reported the most GLBT attorneys, with 13, followed by Kirkland & Ellis, with eight, and Latham & Watkins, with six. Most firms also said they’ve been supportive of the community, with 87 percent sponsoring GLBT community events and 78 percent providing financial support for GLBT organizations.