(November 7, 2016) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, was awarded the 2016 Legal Excellence Award as the Inclusion and Diversity Champion by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. This is the second time Littler has won the award, which is presented to firms demonstrating an exceptional commitment to inclusion and diversity.  

“It is an honor to once again be recognized by Nationwide,” said Tom Bender and Jeremy Roth, co-managing directors of Littler. “This award is a reflection of our continued pledge to sustaining a work environment in which anyone can succeed and we are extremely pleased to receive such an award from Nationwide, a company that shares our philosophy and deep commitment to inclusion and diversity.”

Littler was selected based on the firm’s well-rounded approach to promoting a culture of diversity within the workplace. Nationwide surveys law firms’ inclusion and diversity efforts across the board, including firm strategies, leadership commitment and the recruitment, development and retention efforts of diverse attorneys. A diverse panel of legal professionals and executive leaders at Nationwide carefully reviewed dozens of applications. Award applicants were required to provide detailed information about the impact of inclusion and diversity practices in their individual organizations.

“Littler’s commitment to broadening opportunities for diverse attorneys in the legal field is echoed within Nationwide’s own culture and it is especially rewarding to receive this award from a company that places a high priority on inclusion and diversity,” said James Oh, relationship shareholder for Nationwide in Littler’s Chicago office.

“Nationwide is proud to recognize Littler for its demonstrated commitment to inclusion and diversity,” said Mark Howard, executive vice president and chief legal officer at Nationwide. “At Nationwide, we believe that the ability to embrace the values of inclusion and diversity and incorporate it into our organizations provides us with a broad skill base and great corporate culture from which we realize greater opportunities. The 2016 recipients of the Legal Excellence Awards have realized greater opportunities for their firms and for the legal profession.”

Nationwide honored Littler last week at a recognition ceremony in Columbus, Ohio. Jeremy Roth, James Oh and Natalie Pierce, shareholder and co-chair of the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Council, accepted the 2016 Legal Excellence Award on behalf of Littler.

This year, Littler has garnered several distinguished awards for its innovative diversity initiatives and inclusive culture. The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity recently named the firm a 2016 Top Performer, the California Minority Counsel Program awarded Littler the Drucilla Stender Ramey Majority-Owned Law Firm Award and earlier this summer, Littler earned the inaugural national Sager Award from the Minority Corporate Counsel Association for its innovative Career Advocacy Program. Littler was also certified as a "Gold Standard Firm" by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum, ranked a top law firm by Working Mother magazine and Vault.

About Nationwide

Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the U.S. and is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s. The company provides a full range of insurance and financial services, including auto, commercial, homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities and mutual funds; banking and mortgages; excess & surplus, specialty and surety; pet, motorcycle and boat insurance. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com.

About Littler

Littler is the largest global employment and labor law practice, with more than 1,200 attorneys in over 75 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 member entities of which are separate and distinct professional firms.