For the fifth consecutive year, Baker Donelson has been named one of FORTUNE's 100 Best Companies to Work For®. The law firm is ranked 31st on the 17th annual edition of the list, which recognizes companies that have exceptional workplace cultures. This is the Firm's highest ranking ever, and it is the highest ranked law firm on the list.
"I am immensely proud to have our firm named to this list for the fifth year in a row," says Ben Adams, the Firm's chairman and chief executive officer. "It tells me we are doing something right when it comes to our commitment to our employees. They work incredibly hard to ensure we take exceptional care of our clients, so we do our best to take care of them by providing a workplace that is positive and rewarding."
Baker Donelson was selected from among hundreds of companies vying for a place on the list this year. Applicant companies opt to participate in the selection process, which includes an employee survey and an in-depth questionnaire about their programs and company practices. Great Place to Work® then evaluates each application using its unique methodology based on five dimensions: credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie.
In naming Baker Donelson to the list, FORTUNE highlighted that more than half of the Firm's staffers are women, and that the Firm's visionary leadership consistently goes against trends to do what's right. Baker Donelson employees note the warm, caring environment, infused with elements of fun, as among the reasons the Firm is a great place to work.
The full list and related stories are online now and will be featured in the FORTUNE magazine on newsstands January 20.
Methodology
To pick the 100 Best Companies to Work For, FORTUNE partners with the Great Place to Work Institute to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America; 257 firms participated in this year's survey. More than 252,000 employees at those companies were surveyed by the institute, a global research and consulting firm operating in 45 countries around the world. Two-thirds of a company's score is based on the results of the institute's Trust Index survey, which is sent to a random sample of employees from each company. The survey asks questions related to their attitudes about management's credibility, job satisfaction, and camaraderie. The other third is based on responses to the institute's Culture Audit, which includes detailed questions about pay and benefit programs and a series of open-ended questions about hiring practices, methods of internal communication, training, recognition programs, and diversity efforts. After evaluations are completed, if news about a company comes to light that may significantly damage employees' faith in management, it may be excluded from the list. Any company that is at least five years old and has more than 1,000 U.S. employees is eligible.