Baker Donelson has been named a Top Performer and Compass Award winner by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), which recognizes law firms and corporations that show a strong commitment to building a more inclusive legal profession.
LCLD is comprised of more than 450 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners – the leaders of the profession – who are committed to ensuring that all talent thrives, with the ultimate goal of building a more equitable and diverse legal profession.
The Top Performer award recognizes those organizations in the top 20 percent for participation in LCLD programs and activities.
The Compass Award recognizes those individuals and organizations that fulfill all of the following requirements in a single calendar year:
- Member (managing partner/general counsel) engagement with LCLD;
- Nomination of an LCLD Fellow;
- Nomination of an LCLD Pathfinder; and
- Participation in an LCLD Pipeline program (the 1L Scholars Program or the Success in Law School Mentoring Program).
Baker Donelson, which has earned both the LCLD Compass Award and the Top Performer recognition three previous times, has a long-standing relationship with LCLD. The Firm has been an LCLD member since the organization's inception in 2009 and has participated in both the Fellows and Pathfinders Programs since they were launched.
Baker Donelson's Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Mark A. Baugh said, "The work that the LCLD is doing is crucial to the vitality and future of our profession. Law firm clients continue to demand that the attorneys working with them are truly representative of our diverse society. LCLD's work in broadening the path for a successful career in law is a benefit to our clients, our Firm, our attorneys, and anyone who wants to be a lawyer. Baker Donelson is proud of our relationship with LCLD, and we're honored by their recognition of us as a committed partner in their efforts to ensure the legal profession is truly open, accessible, and welcoming to all."
More about LCLD's awards and the full lists of winners are available here.
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 firm for the fourth consecutive year, Baker Donelson affirmatively considers broad slates of qualified talent for leadership roles that included historically underrepresented lawyers – such as women lawyers, underrepresented racial and ethnic lawyers, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities.