Kelley Drye Named One of Best Places To Work In Washington, D.C.

The Washington Business Journal has named Kelley Drye & Warren LLP to its list of Greater Washington’s Best Places to Work in 2014.

“To be honored by Washington Business Journal as one of the best places to work in D.C. is particularly special because it involved significant feedback from everyone in our office, including attorneys, advisors and staff at all levels.” said Kelley Drye’s managing partner of the firm’s Washington office. ​“Our culture of inclusiveness and collegiality means that we celebrate our accomplishments together, and this award is shared by everyone in our firm. I couldn’t be more proud of our accomplishment.”

Under Rose’s leadership, Kelley Drye D.C. pioneered some innovative practices to ensure that a positive culture was engendered throughout the office, including an all-employee goal setting session, a partnership with Noyes Elementary school to coach their students in a city-wide geography tournament, an afternoon trip to view the Cherry Blossoms and a charity-driven ​“Take Your Dog to Work Day.” Throughout the year, employee awards were given to recognize employee contributions at all levels and, in a recent internal survey, 91% of respondents said they enjoy coming to work.

Kelley Drye’s emphasis on a positive culture also helped drive the office’s growth in 2013, which included aggressive lateral recruitment and the formation of a Government Contracts practice.

“This has been a wonderful year for the D.C. office. We’ve always had a fun workplace, but this year we’ve really gotten to know one another and there’s a greater sense of community.” said Joy Gray, a 25-year secretary at Kelley Drye. ​“The recognition from firm management has also made a tremendous difference. Every company says that their employees are their greatest asset, but here you really feel like that’s true.”

The Best Places to Work honors are awarded annually by the Washington Business Journal to top companies in three categories: small, medium, and large business. The awards are based on confidential feedback from employees in the following categories: team effectiveness, retention risk, alignment with goals, trust with co-workers, individual contribution, manager effectiveness, trust in senior leaders, feeling valued, work engagement, and people practice.