ATLANTA – December 5, 2016 – Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (Ogletree Deakins), one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, has earned a perfect score of 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2017 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBT equality. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation also named Ogletree Deakins a 2017 Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality.
“We are ecstatic to earn the top score on this year’s Corporate Equality Index,” said Michelle Wimes, Ogletree Deakins’ director of professional development and inclusion. “We’ve worked hard to develop a work culture where everyone—no matter their sexual orientation, age, ethnicity, or gender—has the same leadership and business development opportunities. We know that with a diverse workforce, the firm is more creative, stronger, and better able to address the evolving issues in the workplace.”
The 2017 CEI rated 1,043 businesses in the report, which evaluates LGBT-related policies and practices including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs, and public engagement with the LGBT community. Ogletree Deakins’ efforts in satisfying all of the CEI’s criteria results in a 100 percent ranking and the designation as a Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality.
For more information on the 2017 Corporate Equality Index, or to download a free copy of the report, visit www.hrc.org/cei.
About Ogletree Deakins
Ogletree Deakins is one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management in all types of employment-related legal matters. Premier client service, as outlined in the firm’s Client Pledge, is one of the firm’s top priorities and a cornerstone of its core values. U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” has named Ogletree Deakins a “Law Firm of the Year” for six consecutive years. In 2017, the publication named Ogletree Deakins its “Law Firm of the Year” in the Labor Law – Management category. Ogletree Deakins has more than 750 attorneys located in 49 offices across the United States and in Europe, Canada, and Mexico. The firm represents a diverse range of clients, from small businesses to Fortune 50 companies.
About The Human Rights Campaign Foundation
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 people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.