Employment Law Alliance to Serve as Global Partner to the World Bank

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, February 16, 2011 (Press-News.org) The Employment Law Alliance (ELA) will serve as a "Global Partner" to The World Bank Group's Women, Business and the Law (WBL) report and dataset for its 2011 edition. The WBL report series is based on an international survey with detailed information on how the laws of each country impact women's ability to secure employment and start businesses.

"The World Bank is among the most highly regarded organizations in the world, and we are honored that they would reach out to the ELA for assistance with this important project. This is another testament to our ability to provide quality legal advice around the globe - but, perhaps more importantly, this is a tremendous recognition of the high caliber of our member firms," said Stephen J. Hirschfeld, CEO of the ELA.

"For us, the Employment Law Alliance was a natural fit. This project requires global legal data, which cannot be found in any single firm. The ELA's broad, international talent pool fits the bill and will provide all the regional insight and nuance that will make our Women, Business and the Law project an invaluable educational tool to help women start businesses and get jobs," said Sarah Iqbal, a Gender Legal Expert with the WBL project.

ELA member firms will be surveyed for the Women, Business and the Law report, and their data and comments will be included in the 2011 edition. This report is the second edition and follows a pilot report published in March 2010. The project explores 148 economies around the globe with the purpose of educating government agencies, researchers, policy makers, civil society groups and associations. Among the topics to be covered are: maternity and paternity leave, retirement and pensions, flexible work and restrictions on working at night and in specific industries.

About The World Bank Group's Women, Business and the Law Report:
The Women, Business and the Law report examines laws and regulations that affect women's prospects as entrepreneurs and employees. The report is intended to inform research and policy discussions on how to improve women's economic opportunities around the world, by laying out, in an objective fashion, legal differentiations on the basis of gender. For more information visit: wbl.worldbank.org.

About The Employment Law Alliance:
The Employment Law Alliance is the world's largest network of labor and employment lawyers. With specialists in all 50 states and more than 120 countries, the ELA provides multi-state and multi-national companies with seamless and cost-effective services worldwide. On the web at: http://www.employmentlawalliance.com.
Contacts: Traci Stuart/Michael Bond, Blattel Communications
traci@blattel.com/michael@blattel.com
415.397.4811

Blattel Communications is a full-service public relations and marketing agency specializing in business-to-business communication.