(Nashville, TN / March 19, 2014) The law firm of Baker Donelson has received a score of 85 in the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) 2014 Corporate Equality Index (CEI).
The HRC's CEI report, released each fall, is a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workplace equality administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Baker Donelson was the only Tennessee-based law firm to participate in the survey this year.
"We are honored to be able to participate in this survey and are proud of the inclusive culture at Baker Donelson," said Mark A. Baugh, chair of Baker Donelson's Diversity Committee and a shareholder in the Firm's Nashville office.
Since the launch of its Diversity Initiative in 2002, Baker Donelson's diverse attorney population and the number of minority shareholders have more than quadrupled, far outpacing the Firm's overall growth. The recruitment and retention of female attorneys and the representation of women in leadership positions at the Firm have improved as well.
The Firm's efforts have been recognized by MultiCultural Law magazine, which has ranked Baker Donelson on its annual lists of the "Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity" and the "Top 100 Law Firms for Women." Earlier this year, Baker Donelson was also ranked ninth for the second consecutive year in Vault Inc.'s "Best Law Firms for Diversity" list.
The 2014 CEI rated a total of 934 businesses in the report, which evaluates LGBT-related policies and practices. More information is available on the organization's website.