For the fifth consecutive year, the Michigan Business & Professional Association (MBPA) has named Plunkett Cooney, one of the Midwest’s oldest and largest full-service law firms, as one of “Metropolitan Detroit’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For.”

“We are thrilled to win this award again. Our management team takes pride in maintaining a hardworking, but flexible, family atmosphere,” said Henry B. Cooney, the firm’s President and CEO. “We look forward to celebrating this honor and thank the MBPA for selecting us again this year.”

The MBPA will be honoring the winning companies in a special symposium and awards luncheon on Oct. 29 at the Dearborn Inn.

The MBPA award selection process is three-fold. First, an employee submits an application to nominate his or her company for consideration. Second, the MBPA contacts each company’s Human Resources Department to complete and submit an extensive survey along with an employee roster. Third, the MBPA randomly surveys a number of employees to validate the anonymous recommendation and the information submitted in the company questionnaire.

When selecting award winners, the MBPA’s market research firm examines each application statistically for quantitative data and scoring. An independent panel of volunteer judges then examines each application, collects the data and applies qualitative scores. Companies receiving the highest points totals are selected as “Elite” winners.

The criteria for selecting the 101 Best & Brightest Companies to Work For in Metropolitan Detroit includes communications within the company; the organization’s commitment to the community; compensation and benefits packages; diversity and multi-culturalism initiatives; employee continuing education and development; employee connection and commitment to their work and their organization; recognition and retention of the company’s best and brightest employees; methods for recruiting people who best fit the organization; and balancing work, family and other demands.

Plunkett Cooney maintains a “Great Place to Work” program firm wide to enhance the work experience for all employees. This program goes beyond compensation to focus on added value benefits in addition to the traditional health, vision, dental and insurance plans offered by most companies. The program includes such opportunities as continuing education, special events, employee convenience services, diversity recruitment and retention, mentoring and much more.

Established in 1913, Plunkett Cooney employs more than 150 attorneys in nine Michigan cities, Columbus, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana. The firm, which provides a range of transactional and litigation defense services, has achieved the highest rating (AV) awarded by Martindale-Hubbell, a leading, international directory of law firms.

Other recent honors awarded to Plunkett Cooney include recognition by the Detroit Free Press as one of its “2009 Top Workplaces” and acknowledgement for the second consecutive year by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a member of its “Century Club” based on the firm’s innovative recruitment and retention initiatives in the 21^st century.

For more information about Plunkett Cooney being named one of the “101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For,” contact the firm’s Practice Development Manager John Cornwell at (248) 901-4008.

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