Firm Earns Recognition for 14th Consecutive Year
The national law firm of Alston & Bird LLP announced today that it has been ranked 23rd on FORTUNE’s 2013 “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. Alston & Bird is the first and only U.S. law firm to make the list 14 consecutive years. The list and related stories will appear in the February issue of FORTUNE.
“This year’s ranking at #23 on FORTUNE’s list - up from #24 last year – is particularly meaningful,” said Richard R. Hays, managing partner of Alston & Bird. “It confirms that we are living our core values that directly contribute to our growth while ensuring success for our clients.”
FORTUNE commended Alston & Bird for its family-friendly perks, including monetary support and paid time off for adoptions, partial scholarships for on-site child care, and health coverage for autism, infertility, and marriage counseling.
“This ranking is a nod to our culture and heritage,” said Cathy Benton, chief human resources officer at Alston & Bird and leader of the FORTUNE submission through the years. “We pride ourselves on creating and maintaining a work environment that fosters inclusion, creativity and productivity. Being seen as a leader in the legal industry is an additional advantage of the consistent recognition.”
To pick the 100 Best Companies to Work For, FORTUNE partners with the Great Place to Work Institute to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America; 259 firms participated in this year's survey. More than 277,000 employees at those companies responded to a survey created by the institute, a global research and consulting firm operating in 45 countries around the world. Two-thirds of a company's score is based on the results of the institute's Trust Index survey, which is sent to a random sample of employees from each company. The survey asks questions related to their attitudes about management's credibility, job satisfaction, and camaraderie. The other third is based on responses to the institute’s Culture Audit, which includes detailed questions about pay and benefit programs and a series of open-ended questions about hiring practices, methods of internal communication, training, recognition programs, and diversity efforts. After evaluations are completed, if news about a company comes to light that may significantly damage employees’ faith in management, FORTUNE may exclude it from the list. Any company that is at least five years old and has more than 1,000 U.S. employees is eligible.