The Greater Philadelphia’s LGBT chamber of commerce presented an award this week to a member business that promotes LGBT-inclusive policies toward customers, employees and the community.
Law firm Berner Klaw & Watson received the Business Integrity Award at the Independence Business Alliance’s annual meeting Monday.
“Every year we get a number of high-quality applicants and this one was selected by a committee of IBA members and folks from Integrity Staffing Solutions,” said IBA Executive Director Zach Wilcha. “They found that their commitments to the LGBT community, not just for this year but for the past decade and a half or so, was one that really stood out. The proof is in the work that they do.”
Judy Stouffer, Berner Klaw & Watson’s law firm administrator, submitted the winning application.
“The one thing I did say that we are really firm on is making sure that anybody who wants to work with us understands that we have a strong LGBTQIA practice and that we don’t want anybody to treat our clients any differently,” said Stouffer, who accepted the award alongside attorneys Jennifer Dumin and Stephanie Stecklair. “That goes for Catholic, Jewish, black, white — no discrimination whatsoever in who we represent.”
In the application, Stouffer noted the firm’s hiring practices. While interviewing applicants for a part-time paralegal position this year, Stouffer had the firm’s senior paralegal and new partner sit in on the interviews with her.
“After the first few interviews, one of them asked why I always made sure to mention our LGBTQ practice area,” Stouffer wrote in the application. “That answer is simple: We really don’t want anyone working for us who is unaccepting of any member of the LGBTQIA community. It is not uncommon to get a ‘Thanks for the opportunity to interview, but no thanks’ e-mail from those who I suspect are intolerant.”
Stouffer noted that while she likes to think they had an LGBT person on staff at all times, there have been gaps. One of those employees was the openly gay Tom P. Rush, who died from AIDS in 1998. The firm’s partners, Joni Berner and Margaret Klaw, organized and paid for Rush’s memorial service since he did not have family in Pennsylvania or family who accepted him.
“He continues to be sorely missed by those of us who remember working with him,” Stouffer wrote.
Stouffer said the firm currently has one openly gay female attorney on the nine-person staff.
“BKW’s family-law practice is proud to have helped and to continue to help LGBTQ individuals with their legal issues,” Stouffer wrote. “Years ago, it was more common to see potential clients who wanted to separate from the life they felt pressured to live by their families and/or society. They generally called us once the kids were grown and the individual was ready to ‘come out.’”
Additionally, firm representatives serve on boards for Mazzoni Center, write on LGBT issues for the Legal Intelligencer and host events in LGBT-inclusive venues.
“In today’s day and age, it is unfortunate that not only businesses, but individuals, are unaccepting of the LGBTQ community and others,” Stouffer wrote. “We must band together because an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. We hope our minority (women-owned) business, who loudly and proudly supports the LGBTQ community, sets an example for all.”
In addition to the award, IBA announced Marc Coleman, Diana Lu, Jone Magagna, Brian McGinnis and Tiffany Newmuis as new board members. Rosalind Sutch and Mary Sparacino were elected as vice president and secretary, respectively.