Bricker recognized as Nationwide’s Inclusion & Diversity Regional Champion

Bricker & Eckler is one of three law firms across the country to be recognized by Nationwide’s legal department for its commitment to inclusion and diversity to advance the legal profession. Bricker representatives attended the Nov. 1 ceremony in Columbus to receive the distinguished “Inclusion & Diversity Regional Champion” award.

Established by Nationwide in 2013, the Legal Excellence Awards highlight the importance of inclusion and diversity and demonstrate appreciation for the outstanding contributions that the legal community makes in support of this shared mission. A diverse panel of legal professionals and executive leaders at Nationwide reviewed dozens of applications to choose the award recipients.

“Nationwide is proud to recognize law firms like…Bricker & Eckler for 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.”

Kurt Tunnell, the firm’s managing partner, is an active participant in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, whose membership includes Nationwide as well as many other Central Ohio-based businesses, national companies and law firms. As the Chair of the Columbus Bar Association Managing Partner Initiative, he is known as a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion initiatives in the legal profession within Bricker and throughout the local community.

“Bricker & Eckler has long been committed to encouraging and engaging diversity and inclusion in our workplace and our community,” Tunnell stated. “For a company like Nationwide to recognize our efforts is an incredible honor.” Quintin Lindsmith, the firm’s Nationwide relationship partner, added, “We are immensely proud of the fact that over half of our trial teams assigned to Nationwide matters are led by women and diverse attorneys and that such assignments are replicated with other clients.”  

The firm’s pursuit of this shared mission includes the formation of a Diversity & Inclusion Committee, whose members have become champions of groundbreaking and proactive diversity and inclusion efforts within Bricker and beyond. These individuals collectively strive to attract diverse talent and to cultivate a culture where people are valued for their contributions.

Diversity & Inclusion Committee chair Joëlle Khouzam was especially pleased that this award emphasized Bricker’s regional presence and local impact. “As an Ohio-based firm, we take incredible pride and responsibility in doing our part to promote diversity and inclusion among our local partners. With offices across the state, we are committed to the cities and regions we serve. And we are eager to make Ohio one of the nation’s leaders in legal diversity and inclusion.”