Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has awarded Kutak Rock LLP its highest score of 100 on its 2023-2024 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) for the eighth year in a row. The HRC CEI is the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices impacting LGBTQ employees. Earning a score of 100 distinguishes Kutak Rock as a recipient of the “Equality 100 Award: Leaders in LGBTQ+ Inclusion” (formerly referred to as “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality”).
“Every year, HRC raises the bar for workplace inclusion, and every year, Kutak Rock meets and regularly exceeds their expectations,” said Steve Likes, partner, and chair of the firm’s LGBTQIA + Allies Affinity Group. Legal assistant Susie Carlson, who co-chairs the affinity group, agrees. “Not only is the firm known as a welcoming place for LGBTQ+ attorneys and legal professionals, we also have systems, policies, and benefits in place as proof.”
Since opening in 1965, Kutak Rock’s culture has embraced diversity and equality in the legal profession. Kutak Rock has reinforced its decades-long 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. The firm first began offering insurance benefits to same-sex partners over 20 years ago and has offered transgender benefits for nearly a decade.
About the CEI. The results of the 2023-2024 CEI showcase how U.S.-based companies are promoting LGBTQ+ friendly workplace policies in the U.S. and abroad. The first year of the CEI included 319 participants, and the 2023-2024 CEI now includes 1,384 participants. A record-breaking 1,340 businesses have non-discrimination protections specific to gender identity, up from just 17 in 2002. These non-discrimination protections cover 21 million employees in the U.S. and around the globe.
The CEI rates employers providing protections to over 20 million U.S. workers and an additional 18 million outside of the U.S. Companies rated in the CEI include Fortune magazine’s 500 largest publicly traded businesses, American Lawyer magazine’s top 200 revenue-grossing law firms (AmLaw 200), and hundreds of publicly and privately held mid- to large-sized businesses.
The CEI 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
- Corporate social responsibility
The full report is available online at www.hrc.org/cei.