Daily Business Review Names Carlton Fields and Nancy Faggianelli Florida Legal Award Honorees

TAMPA, Fla. – Daily Business Review has named both Carlton Fields and Nancy Faggianelli as 2023 Florida Legal Award honorees in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) category. Carlton Fields is one of three firms, and Faggianelli is one of five individuals, recognized in the DEI space.

Faggianelli is a longtime advocate for DEI within the legal profession and across Florida. For more than 15 years, she has served in various firm leadership roles dedicated to DEI, and currently serves as the firm’s chief diversity officer. She has also worked tirelessly to expand LGBTQ+ rights, lobbying government entities, and investing hundreds of pro bono hours in litigation in partnership with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal, and Equality Florida. Beyond LGBTQ+ rights, Faggianelli has been instrumental in the firm’s expansion of its DEI policies and outreach to all diverse members of the firm, and has personally mentored many diverse lawyers.

DEI is not only a core value of Carlton Fields and an integral part of its strategic plan, it is a part of the firm’s history. Its namesake, Governor Doyle Carlton, was a champion of women’s suffrage in the 1920s and was appointed by President Dwight Eisenhower to the country’s first Civil Rights Commission. Carlton Fields was one of the first Southern law firms to hire female, Black, and Jewish partners, and to adopt same-sex benefits for its LGBTQ+ employees. The firm also led the way in offering alternative work schedules to employees and extended domestic partner benefits.

Diverse individuals hold leadership positions across the firm, including president and CEO and chair of the board of directors which is more than 50% diverse. The firm also has three business resource groups – LGBTQ+, Minority, and Women’s – led by women and/or minority women. Diverse individuals lead five of the firm’s 11 offices, six of its nine industry groups, seven of its major practice area groups, and two of its three industry-focused ancillary consultancies. The firm is also regularly recognized for its DEI initiatives in publications such as Vault, American Lawyer, and the Minority Corporate Counsel.

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