MMMPower – MMM’s affinity group for LGBTQ+ employees and allies – was founded in 2014. Organized under the umbrella of our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, the core purposes of MMMPower are to:
- Provide a safe and supportive space for LGBTQ+ employees and allies to come together once a month to discuss topics of interest and concern
- Raise awareness within the Firm of important legal and societal issues facing the LGBTQ+ community by sponsoring CLE events and other outreach opportunities
- Raise the profile of the Firm as a law firm leader in the LGBTQ+ community both as a business development tool and in furtherance of recruiting LGBTQ+ attorneys and staff
Highlights of MMMPower’s recent activities include the following:
- On January 19, 2022, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation awarded a perfect score of 100 to MMM on its Corporate Equality Index (CEI), an annual assessment of LGBTQ+ workplace equality. This is the Firm’s 5th consecutive year achieving this important recognition. The CEI is considered the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring policies, practices, and benefits for LGBTQ+ employees and workplace equality.
- In celebration of National LGBTQ+ Pride Month, MMMPower welcomed Lori Anderson from Atlanta Legal Aid to the Firm on June 16, 2022, to conduct a CLE program on handling gender-affirming name changes and gender marker changes, followed by a cocktail reception. Utilizing training from this program, more than 50 MMM attorneys now provide pro bono assistance with gender-affirming name changes; and gender marker changes to members of the metro Atlanta LGBTQ+ community. This pro bono project is ongoing.
- MMM continued our long-standing tradition of annual sponsorships for the following local and national nonprofit organizations serving the LGBTQ+ community:
- Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and its annual Atlanta Gala
- Lambda Legal, a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of all members of the LGBTQ+ community through impact litigation, education, and public policy work
- The Stonewall Bar Association, a professional association of attorneys, judges, law students and other legal professionals supporting the rights of LGBTQ+ people and opposing discrimination based upon sexual orientation or gender identity
- Out-attorneys participated in several panels we hosted at area law schools focusing on diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.
- In celebration of Atlanta’s Pride Week in October 2021, MMMPower sponsored a firm-wide reception featuring desserts by a local LGBTQ+-owned business and a colorful display of various LGBTQ+ flags with explanations of the diverse groups represented by such flags. The event led to the compilation by MMMPower of a roster of LGBTQ+-owned caterers, which we draw upon for our events.