Baker Donelson - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Baker Donelson is High Risk.

Baker Donelson is High Risk. The company yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. Baker Donelson embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Medium Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	High Risk
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	Medium Risk
Funding	High Risk
Political Actions	High Risk

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Baker Donelson received a score of 100 on the 2025 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. The company recruits employees based on sexual identity issues. The company discriminates against vendors that do not promote divisive sex and gender policies, indicating it prioritizes sexual issues over merit (1)(2). However, Baker Donelson has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (3).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Baker Donelson’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company will not donate to non-religious charities unless they embrace controversial sexual identity policies (1)(2). Baker Donelson does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (3).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Baker Donelson’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company forces employees to attend multiple, controversial trainings on gender identity, sexual orientation, transgender issues, and divisive racial ideology. The company provides gender transition guidelines for its employees and a specific benefits guide with a comprehensive explanation of transgender services funded by the company (1)(2). Baker Donelson is Mansfield Certified, indicating its support of DEI in its recruitment, hiring, promotions, and leadership composition (3)(4). Baker Donelson is a member firm of Bloomberg Law’s DEI Framework, indicating its support of DEI in its advocacy, recruitment, hiring, promotions, and leadership compensation (5)(6). Baker Donelson does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (7).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Baker Donelson‘s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company agrees to allow a controversial stakeholder group focused on sexual identity issues to dictate marketing or advertising strategy. By doing so, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders (1)(2). Baker Donelson supports DEI within its business practices, stating, “Diversity is engrained in our culture and is an implemented aspect of attorney and shareholder retreats” (3). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of Baker Donelson using its reputation to advance ideological causes or policies (4).

Criteria:

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Baker Donelson’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company covers transgender related costs for its employees and their children, including paid short-term leave, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, chest surgeries, genital surgeries, medical visits and lab monitoring, travel and lodging. Additionally, the company has pledged philanthropic support of at least one organization or event that promotes sex and gender ideology. By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company increases health care costs and risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders (1)(2). Baker Donelson has partnered with Out Leadership, which provides resources related to advancing LGBTQ causes, and sponsored several LGBTQ events (3)(4). Baker Donelson is a member of the MCCA, indicating its focus on recruiting, retaining, and promoting employees based on race (5)(6). Baker Donelson sponsored the following 3x events in 2025: The 50th Annual Memphis Pride Festival & Parade, Nashville Pride, Central Alabama Pride (7)(8)(9). The company sponsored the following Pride events in 2026: Memphis Pride Festival & Parade, Nashville Pride, and Atlanta Pride (10)(11)(12). Baker Donelson is a Member of Out Leadership, a global network of LGBT+ business leaders from major companies that seeks to advance LGBTQ+ representation in corporate leadership and integrate LGBTQ+ priorities into workplace strategies. The first LGBTQ+ B-Corporation, Out Leadership accomplishes this through convening leadership summits, directing talent initiatives, and providing advisory solutions that emphasize the positive impact of LGBT+ inclusion for business (13)(14)(15)(16).
Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of the company using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (17).

Criteria:

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Baker Donelson‘s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company publicly advocated for controversial sex and gender ideology through local, state or federal legislation or initiatives. By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders (1)(2). Baker Donelson is a part of the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance, committed to work on initiatives that fight “systemic racism” (3)(4). Baker Donelson has not used its PAC donations for ideological purposes and does not engage in lobbying at this time (5)(6)(7).