Littler Named 2014 Recipient of Coca-Cola’s “Living the Values” Award

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (February 13, 2015) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has been named the 2014 recipient of The Coca-Cola Company’s “Living the Values” Award. Established by the company to recognize its U.S.-based partner law firms that demonstrate a strong commitment to diversity, the award was presented to Littler during a February 11 luncheon.

“At Littler, diversity and inclusion is an integral part of our identity and critical to the firm’s continued success,” said Tom Bender and Jeremy Roth, co-managing directors of Littler. “We are proud of the workplace culture we have created and of the varied perspectives and experiences that stem from the diverse makeup of our attorneys, professional staff and clients. It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by Coca-Cola, a company whose commitment to diversity is so closely aligned with ours.”

Awarded by Coca-Cola’s Legal Division annually since 2008, recipients of the Living the Values Award are chosen based on in-depth questionnaires distributed to the U.S. law firms with which the company does business. Firms are evaluated based on their values and initiatives to support and foster diversity and inclusion, including commitment of senior management to diversity, representation of minorities and women within the firm, success in recruiting and retaining minority and female associates, creative partnership arrangements with minority and women-owned firms and the level of firmwide participation in diversity programs.

“Diversity is more than just a priority for our Legal Division; it is a business imperative and a core value for our Company,” said Russell Bonds, Associate General Counsel at Coca-Cola. “We are extremely impressed with Littler’s best-in-class diversity practices and programs and we applaud their steadfast commitment to diversity. We are very fortunate to have them as a partner.”

Coca-Cola’s global diversity mission is to mirror the rich diversity of the marketplace it serves and be recognized for its leadership in diversity and inclusion in all aspects of its business, including the workplace, marketplace, its supplier base and within the community, enhancing the company’s social license to operate. Coca-Cola was one of the first Fortune 100 companies to publicly honor law firms that excel in workplace diversity programs.

“To receive this honor from a company so widely recognized for its vision and passion for diversity is incredibly humbling,” said Jen Robinson, managing shareholder of Littler’s Nashville office and relationship shareholder for Coca-Cola. “Like Coca-Cola, Littler has long been dedicated to cultivating a diverse workforce within our own firm, as well as to developing programs that help businesses embrace the dynamics of diversity.”

In addition to the Living the Values Award, Littler has garnered widespread accolades for its progressive diversity initiatives. Recent highlights include:

  • Named to The American Lawyer’s Women Partner Watch Honor Roll, 2014
  • Ranked #1 – Diversity for Minorities, #2 – Overall Best Law Firms for Diversity, #2 – Diversity for Women, #3 – Diversity for Individuals with Disabilities, #4 – Diversity for LGBT and #4 – Diversity for Veterans in the Vault Guide to the Top 100 Law Firms, 2015
  • Ranked #12 – 25 Top Firms for Females by Law360, 2014
  • Earned a 100% Corporate Equality Index rating from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Best Places to Work Survey, 2015–2009
  • Certified as a “Gold Standard Firm” by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum, 2014–2011
  • Named to Working Mother magazine’s 50 Best Law Firms for Women, 2014–2008 (award on hiatus in 2010)
  • Midwest Region Winner of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s Thomas L. Sager Award, 2014 and 2011; Western Region Winner, 2009

About The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most valuable and recognizable brands, the Company’s portfolio features 17 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, the Company is the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy its beverages at a rate of 1.9 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, the Company is focused on initiatives that reduce its environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for its associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where it operates. Together with its bottling partners, the Company ranks among the world’s top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates. For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey, follow the Company on Twitter, visit its blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, or find the Company on LinkedIn.

About Littler

Littler is the largest global employment and labor law practice, with more than 1,000 attorneys in over 60 offices worldwide. Littler represents management in all aspects of employment and labor law and serves as a single-source solution provider to the global employer community. Consistently recognized in the industry as a leading and innovative law practice, Littler has been litigating, mediating and negotiating some of the most influential employment law cases and labor contracts on record for over 70 years. Littler Global is the collective trade name for an international legal practice, the practicing entities of which are separate and distinct professional firms.