Baker Donelson has received a high score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's 2022 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the nation's foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. Baker Donelson is among 1,271 major U.S. businesses that were also ranked in the 2022 CEI.
Baker Donelson earned a score of 90 on the 2022 CEI report, which rates companies on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars: non-discrimination policies across business entities; equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families; supporting an inclusive culture; and corporate social responsibility.
Noah Kressler, chair of Baker Donelson's LGBTQ resource group BakerPride and a shareholder in the New Orleans office, said, "HRC's Corporate Equality Index is a significant benchmark measuring corporate commitment to equitable treatment of LGBTQ employees. Tools such as this report are crucial to ensuring transparency and progress toward LGBTQ workplace equality. Baker Donelson is proud to be among the businesses whose practices and policies demonstrate a commitment to an inclusive and welcoming environment for LGBTQ attorneys and staff."
"I'm exceptionally grateful for Baker Donelson's consistent inclusion in the Corporate Equality Index, but we must continue to make progress," added Timothy M. Lupinacci, the Firm's chair and CEO. "We are determined to achieve further advances that ensure Baker Donelson is a model workplace for LGBTQ equality."
"When the Human Rights Campaign Foundation created the Corporate Equality Index 20 years ago, we dreamed that LGBTQ+ workers – from the factory floor to corporate headquarters, in big cities and small towns – could have access to the policies and benefits needed to thrive and live life authentically," said Jay Brown, Human Rights Campaign senior vice president of programs, research and training. "We are proud that the Corporate Equality Index paved the way to that reality for countless LGBTQ+ workers in America and abroad. But there is still more to do, which is why we are raising the bar yet again to create more equitable workplaces and a better tomorrow for LGBTQ+ workers everywhere."
Baker Donelson strives to create an inclusive environment for all employees, welcoming people of all races, genders, ages, languages, ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, disabilities, sexual orientations and religious beliefs to assist clients in achieving their legal goals. As a Mansfield Rule Certified Plus 2021 firm, Baker Donelson affirmatively considers at least 30 percent women, attorneys of color, LGBTQ+ attorneys and attorneys with disabilities in the candidate pools for recruitment, governance roles and equity partner promotions, and inclusion in formal pitch presentations to clients. Baker Donelson is also a member firm of Out Leadership, the oldest and largest global coalition of companies working to improve LGBTQ+ equality. Through BakerPride, a large and active employee resource group for LGBTQ+ attorneys and staff as well as straight allies in the Firm, Baker Donelson sponsors and supports numerous client development initiatives, LGBTQ+ community organizations and events in the Firm's footprint and provides a means for members to become involved in the Firm's efforts to promote LGBTQ+ equality.
About HRC
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people. Through its programs, the HRC Foundation seeks to make transformational change in the everyday lives of LGBTQ+ people, shedding light on inequity and deepening the public's understanding of LGBTQ+ issues, with a clear focus on advancing transgender and racial justice. Its work has transformed the landscape for more than 15 million workers, 11 million students, 1 million clients in the adoption and foster care system, and so much more. The HRC Foundation provides direct consultation and technical assistance to institutions and communities, driving the advancement of inclusive policies and practices; it builds the capacity of future leaders and allies through fellowship and training programs; and, with the firm belief that we are stronger working together, it forges partnerships with advocates in the U.S. and around the globe to increase its impact and shape the future of work.