Click here to view our ad for the 2012 GLAAD Media Awards

We are proud supporters of Lambda Legal and GLAAD. Additionally, GLAAD is a pro bono client of the firm.

Where Out...is In

Overview
News
Events & Sponsorships
Recruiting
Attorneys

Out at Sheppard's mission is to increase visibility of and support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender attorneys and professionals in keeping with Sheppard Mullin's overall commitment to diversity. The group focuses its collective efforts on finding, hiring and retaining the best and brightest LGBT attorneys and encouraging them as they move into leadership roles at the Firm. Out at Sheppard helps facilitate participation in law student outreach programs, actively participates in the Summer Associate program, and provides informal opportunities for mentorship, collaboration and camaraderie for attorneys in all stages of their career. The group also serves as a resource for professional and business development, and as a communication link to the Firm's leadership.

By contributing to the open and affirming culture at Sheppard Mullin, we aim to positively impact not only our own and our clients' workplaces, but also the larger communities in which we practice. We are committed to seeking out, encouraging and supporting meaningful pro bono work, community activism and volunteer opportunities to protect the rights and improve the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and their loved ones. For more information about Out At Sheppard, please contact D&I@sheppardmullin.com.

Please click here to read our Out at Sheppard brochure.

Community Involvement

Sheppard Mullin has a strong tradition of supporting the LGBT community through pro bono work and charitable giving. The firm is proud to provide pro bono service to such organizations as Lambda Legal and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). In addition, Sheppard Mullin sponsors LGBT-related events and provides financial support to various LGBT community organizations.

GLAAD: Because of Sheppard Mullin's dedication to LGBT issues, and after our attorneys met with GLAAD's new president and board of directors, GLAAD recently chose to continue using Sheppard Mullin as its principal outside legal counsel. Recent pro bono matters for GLAAD include event, venue, and vendor agreements for the GLAAD Media Awards, tax-related advice, employment contracts, and leasing projects. Many Sheppard Mullin attorneys and clients attend the annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York and Los Angeles.

Lambda Legal: Sheppard Mullin is also a proud National Sponsor of Lambda Legal. Pro bono matters with Lambda Legal include assistance with an amicus brief opposing a challenge to an amendment to the California Education Code broadening the definition of gender to include sexual identity. Each year, Sheppard Mullin attorneys and clients attend Lambda events including the Lambda Legal Liberty Awards National Dinner in New York City.

Other pro bono efforts supporting the LGBT community:

Sheppard Mullin received the AID for AIDS International's My Hero Award, commemorating the firm's outstanding contribution in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
Sheppard Mullin attorneys obtained immigration asylum for an HIV-positive LGBT immigrant from Mexico after a lifetime of abuse and threats, ensuring that he would not be deported to face persecution and poor health.
Preparation of a pro bono estate plan for HIV/AIDS clients.

Sheppard Mullin attorneys have had leadership roles in many LGBT organizations, including:

Lambda Legal National Leadership Committee
Pop Luck Club (a non-profit organization providing community support for gay dads and their children )
National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association
Tom Homann LGBT Bar Association (San Diego)

News

Press Releases

Recruiting

Sheppard Mullin hires and maintains a team of attorneys that is both the best of the brightest and as diverse as the world we live in. Critical to this effort is the firm's focus on recruiting LGBT attorneys. To this end, members of our LGBT affinity group, "Out at Sheppard" participate on the firm Recruiting Committee and various local committees as well as in various LGBT specific recruiting events, including the career fairs and outreach programs.

The firm's commitment to LGBT recruiting is evidenced through its non-discrimination policy, which includes sexual orientation and gender identity. In addition, the firm provides LGBT employees and partners and their families the same benefits afforded to the rest of our professionals. These policies have resulted in Sheppard Mullin receiving a perfect score (100%) on the annual Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, which measures how equitably large private businesses in the United States treat their LGBT employees, consumers, and investors.

Our attorneys actively participate in the Summer Associate program and connect with LGBT summer associates on more informal levels as well. Members of Out at Sheppard are also available for lateral candidates to contact with questions about working at the firm.

Please click here to read our Out at Sheppard brochure.

Events & Sponsorships

Lavender Law Conference and Career Fair, San Francisco
August 22, 2013
Concrete Hero, Los Angeles
July 14, 2013
Lambda Legal Summer Associate and Firm Networking Reception, Los Angeles
July 2013
Lambda Legal West Coast Liberty Awards, Los Angeles
June 2013
Out at Sheppard Annual Retreat, Los Angeles
June 2013
Lambda Legal Liberty Awards National Dinner, New York
May 6, 2013
Out at Sheppard Client Reception, San Francisco
May 2, 2013
Tom Homann LGBT Law Association Annual Dinner, San Diego
May 2013
Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards
April 20, 2013
Sheppard Mullin/Columbia Outlaws Luncheon, New York
April 2013
New York Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards
March 16, 2013
San Francisco Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards
March 11, 2013
Williams Institute Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Moot Court Competition, Los Angeles
February 16, 2013
Lesbian & Gay Lawyers Association Annual Gala, Los Angeles
February 9, 2013
LA Gay and Lesbian Center Annual Legal Professionals Reception
January 13, 2013
LA Gay & Lesbian Center Anniversary Gala
November 10, 2012
National LGBT Bar Association’s Out and Proud Corporate Counsel Reception, San Diego
October 25, 2012
Lambda Legal D.C. Sponsor Appreciation Party
October 24, 2012
Out at Sheppard Annual Retreat, Los Angeles
October 19, 2012
Lavender Law Conference and Career Fair, Washington, D.C.
August 23, 2012
Lambda Legal in San Diego
July 18, 2012
Lambda Legal West Coast Liberty Awards, Los Angeles
June 14, 2012
San Francisco Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards
June 2, 2012
Lambda Legal in D.C.
May 21, 2012
Tom Homann LGBT Law Association Annual Dinner in San Diego
May 10, 2012
Lambda Legal Liberty Awards National Dinner, New York
May 7, 2012
Out at Sheppard Reception
May 2, 2012
Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards
April 21, 2012
New York Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards
March 24, 2012
Out at Sheppard Annual Retreat in Los Angeles
October 28, 2011
Lambda Legal West Coast Liberty Awards in Los Angeles
October 27, 2011
Lavender Law Conference and Career Fair in Los Angeles
September 8, 2011
Lambda Legal in DC
June 1, 2011
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards in San Francisco
May 14, 2011
Tom Homann LGBT Law Association Annual Dinner in San Diego
May 12, 2011
Liberty Awards National Dinner - Lambda Legal in New York
May 2, 2011
Lambda Legal's San Francisco Celebration
April 21, 2011
Columbia Law School's Outlaws in New York
April 18, 2011
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards in Los Angeles
April 10, 2011
Out at Sheppard Wine Reception in Los Angeles
April 7, 2011
UCLA's Williams Institute 10th Anniversary Celebration in Los Angeles
April 7, 2011
Lambda Legal in Fort Lauderdale
March 27, 2011
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards in New York
March 19, 2011
Love Lounge for Lambda Legal in Los Angeles
March 6, 2011
Out at Sheppard Annual Retreat in Los Angeles
October 2010
Diversity & Inclusion Attorney Network and Out At Sheppard Cocktail Reception in Los Angeles
October 21, 2010
Lambda Legal West Coast Liberty Awards in Hollywood, CA
September 16, 2010
Lavender Law, National LGBT Bar Association's Annual Career Fair and Conference in Miami Beach, FL
August 26, 2010
GLAAD Media Awards in San Francisco
June 5, 2010
Tom Homann LGBT Law Association Annual Dinner in San Diego
May 13, 2010
Lambda Legal Liberty Awards National Dinner in New York
May 3, 2010
Cocktail Reception and Private Wine Tasting hosted by Out at Sheppard in Los Angeles
April 29, 2010
GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles
April 17, 2010
GLAAD Media Awards in New York
March 13, 2010
National Employment Law Counsel Diversity Reception
March 9, 2010
The Orange County Diversity Task Force
January 1, 2010