News Release
Eliska Plunkett Named to New Orleans CityBusiness’ Leadership in Law Class of 2023
Read Time: 2 minsMcGlinchey is pleased to announce that Director of Human Resources and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Eliska Plunkett (New Orleans) has been recognized in New Orleans CityBusiness’ Leadership in Law Class of 2023. This award recognizes legal professionals in New Orleans for their career and community accomplishments. Honorees will be celebrated at a reception on October 9, 2023, at the New Orleans Museum of Art.
“Eliska exemplifies ‘leadership in law,’ from her time as a practicing attorney to helping drive the firm forward as a member of McGlinchey’s senior administrative team,” said Michael Ferachi, McGlinchey’s Managing Member. “I commend her on this well-deserved recognition of her service to our firm and the legal profession.”
Eliska is the firm’s first Chief Diversity Officer as well as a seasoned human resources professional and employment attorney. As Director of Human Resources, Eliska manages and oversees the administration of HR policies, programs, and practices within the firm, including recruitment and retention, orientation, salary and performance, employee relations, onboarding, and communications. As Chief Diversity Officer, Eliska is charged with the development and implementation of the firm’s diversity initiatives and creating and sustaining an inclusive work environment where everyone is comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work.
Prior to serving as the Director of Human Resources, Eliska was a practicing attorney who served as a Member (Partner) in McGlinchey’s Labor and Employment practice group for more than a decade.
In 2021, Eliska partnered with four other female law firm leaders to co-found the New Orleans Legal Diversity Collaborative (NOLDC), an initiative to drive change in the local legal diversity landscape by improving recruitment, retention, inclusion, equity, and minority advancement. The NOLDC encourages law firms to collaborate, pool resources, form a fellowship, share best practices to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion, and get initiatives pushed across the finish line.
Under Eliska’s leadership, the firm recently achieved the Midsize Mansfield Certification. Following a rigorous 18-month process led by Diversity Lab from September 2021 to March 2023, this distinction certifies that McGlinchey aims to track, measure, and achieve diversity in law firm leadership. As participants in the second certification cohort, McGlinchey is among the first 100 firms to achieve this recognition in the U.S. and Canada.
The firm is also ranked nationally among many AmLaw 100 and 200 firms in three categories on Vault’s 2024 Best Law Firms for Diversity rankings: #12 Best Law Firms for Racial and Ethnic Diversity; #20 Best Law Firms for Women (up from 2023’s ranking of #30); #27 Best Law Firms for Diversity – Overall. McGlinchey has also been named a “Top Performer” by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity every year since 2018 and has received the LCLD’s highest honor, the Compass Award, three times.
Previous McGlinchey recipients of the “Leadership in Law” recognition include J. Patrick Beauchamp, Magdalen Blessey Bickford, Francis “Rasch” Brown, III, Camille Bryant, Katherine Conklin, Deirdre McGlinchey, and Daniel Plunkett.
Since 2005, Leadership in Law has recognized legal professionals in four categories: firm associated, court associated, in-house counsel and educators. Honorees were selected based on their professional and community involvement and achievements that have set the pace for the overall community. Read this year’s list of Leadership in Law honorees here.