Ellen Bartman Jannette, a senior attorney at Plunkett Cooney – one of the Midwest’s oldest and most accomplished law firms – has been appointed the firm’s new Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI).

Plunkett Cooney President & CEO, Jeffrey C. Gerish, recently named Bartman Jannette to the position after her many years of service as a member of the firm’s DEI Committee. In accepting the role, Bartman Jannette said she has been honored to lead related efforts over the years such as the Plunkett Cooney Women’s Leadership Committee and an award-winning firm centennial celebration in 2013 that focused on giving back to the community with over 100 Acts of Kindness performed by firm members.

“I look forward to fostering and promoting the inclusivity aspects of the firm’s DEI initiatives, focusing on remembering that we need to walk in the other person’s shoes to truly understand their perspective, to have a conversation about our differences and to work toward mutual understanding, compromise and growth,” Bartman Jannette said.

A member of Plunkett Cooney’s DEI Committee since 2002, Bartman Jannette is now responsible for leading the firm’s efforts to create and retain a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce. She will work alongside the firm’s management team, diversity committee members and administrative department leaders to accomplish this goal.

Bartman Jannette, who graduated, cum laude, from the University of Pittsburgh in 1984 and Wayne State University Law School in 1988, joined the firm in 2001. Her practice includes the defense of clients in professional liability, premises and general liability, asbestos litigation and insurance coverage litigation.

A member of the State Bar of Michigan and the American Bar Association, Bartman Jannette is admitted to practice in state and federal courts in Michigan.

Established in 1913, Plunkett Cooney is a leading provider of business and litigation services to clients in the private and public sectors. The firm employs attorneys in seven Michigan cities, Chicago, Illinois, Indianapolis, Indiana and Columbus, Ohio.

Plunkett Cooney has achieved the highest rating (AV) awarded by Martindale-Hubbell, a leading, international directory of law firms. The firm has also received Mansfield Rule Certification Plus for midsize law firms, which recognizes leaders in diversity, equity and inclusion within the legal industry.

For more information about Ellen Bartman Jannette’s appointment as Plunkett Cooney’s Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, contact the firm’s Director of Marketing & Business Development John Cornwell at (248) 901-4008 or jcornwell@plunkettcooney.com.

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