Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has awarded Kutak Rock LLP a perfect score on its 2022 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), for the seventh year in a row. The HRC CEI is the national benchmark on corporate policies and practices impacting LGBTQ employees. Earning a score of 100 distinguishes Kutak Rock as one of the “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality,” in the U.S.

“Attitudes and laws regarding LGBTQ rights are unpredictable and constantly in flux, but Kutak Rock’s commitment to equal rights is unwavering,” said Steve Likes, partner, and chair of the firm’s LGBTQIA + Allies Affinity Group. Legal assistant Susie Carlson, who co-chairs the affinity group, concurs. “From the firm’s earliest days, equality and respect have been cornerstones of our culture and structure. We’re honored to again be recognized by HRC for our continued legacy of creating a welcoming and supportive workplace.”

Since opening in 1965, Kutak Rock’s culture has embraced diversity and equality in the legal profession, making strategic efforts to hire women and minority attorneys long before laws required it. This early commitment to equality and professionalism is best embodied by founder Robert J. Kutak’s chairmanship, known as the Kutak Commission, which proposed dramatic revisions to ethical rules relating to lawyers and the legal profession.

Over the past five decades, Kutak Rock has reinforced its commitment to LGBTQ rights through its inclusive Equal Employment Opportunity policy, the extension of equal benefits to all employees—including transgender employees and LGBTQ employees in domestic partnerships—and the work of the firm’s LGBTQIA + Allies Affinity Group to provide networking, engagement and educational opportunities. Kutak Rock boasts percentages of attorneys, associates, and equity partners at nearly one-third above the national average.