Top 100 U.S. law firm Akerman LLP has been named a Compass Award winner by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), recognizing law firms and corporations showing a strong commitment to building more diverse organizations and a more inclusive legal profession.

LCLD, one of the nation’s leading organizations promoting diversity, consists of more than 430 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners dedicated to creating a truly diverse U.S. legal profession.

The Compass Award recognizes individuals and organizations that fulfill the following requirements in a single calendar year:

• Member attendance at the LCLD Annual Membership Meeting and/or Member attendance at a Leadership Summit and/or submission of a Leader’s Pledge;
• Participation in the LCLD Fellows and Pathfinder Programs;
• Participation in an LCLD Pipeline program (the 1L Scholars program or the Success in Law School Mentoring Program).

About Akerman

Akerman LLP is a top 100 U.S. law firm recognized among the most forward-thinking firms in the industry by Financial Times. Its more than 700 lawyers and business professionals collaborate with the world’s most successful enterprises and entrepreneurs to navigate change, seize opportunities, and help drive innovation and growth.

The firm's commitment to diversity is affirmed in a 2022 report by American Lawyer Media's Daily Business Review, which reported that of the eight largest Florida-founded law firms, Akerman has promoted the most diverse partnership classes across its South Florida offices in recent years. Akerman was noted for promoting 19 lawyers across its South Florida offices in the past three years, including 15, or 79 percent, from underrepresented groups. Women represented 42 percent of the firm’s recent South Florida partnership classes.

Akerman's progress in South Florida is mirrored firmwide. The firm is ranked by Law360 among the top 10 law firms for diversity. Its 2021 Diversity Snapshot lists U.S. firms that have the highest representation of minorities in their equity partnerships, and who are outpacing their peers as the legal industry works toward increasing minority representation in its top ranks. Akerman is also recognized among the top 100 firms for diversity by American Lawyer and ranked by Corporate Equality Index as a "Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality" with a 100 percent rating. Additionally, the firm has continuously achieved Mansfield Plus Certification from the Diversity Lab.