Diversity & Inclusion

Commitment

At Sheppard Mullin, we recognize the importance of diversity and the need to create a workplace of inclusion. We need, and our clients demand, a team of attorneys that is as diverse as the world in which we practice. Achieving and maintaining diversity is key to effective client service – a core value of our firm.

At Sheppard Mullin, we ‘walk the talk.’ Our firm was appointed in 2013 by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana as the federal monitor over the New Orleans Police Department responsible for reviewing, assessing and reporting publicly on the NOPD's compliance with a far reaching Consent Decree involving civil rights and effective, constitutional and professional law enforcement.

Please click here to read our Diversity and Inclusion brochure or click here to read our Inclusive Engagement Task Force brochure. 

Policy of Equality

Everyone in the firm is expected to behave in a professional manner at all times. It is the firm’s policy that its employees enjoy a work environment free from all forms of unlawful discrim­ination, including sexual harassment. Any conduct contrary to this policy is strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated. Any person who violates this policy may be subject to discipline, including immediate termination.

This policy covers all employees and members of this firm, including partners, associates, contract employees, managers, paralegals, persons designated "of counsel," volunteer workers and support staff.

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to the maintenance of an employment environment which is welcoming of persons from diverse backgrounds and free from unlawful discrimination and harassment, and in which all of the legal rights of our employees are recognized and protected. Unlawful discrimination based upon race, color, religious creed, sex, gender, pregnancy, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, genetic information, medical condition, physical or mental disability, military and veteran status and all other characteristics proscribed by law is strictly prohibited.

Awards

Because of Sheppard Mullin’s commitment to diversity, the firm has received numerous diversity awards. These include:

• 2022 Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certification Plus Status – In addition to receiving the Mansfield Rule 4.0 Certification Plus Status in 2021 by Diversity Lab, we received certification plus for Mansfield 3.0 Certification Plus in 2020, Mansfield 2.0 Certification Plus in 2019 and Mansfield 1.0 Certification Plus in 2018 and are participating in Mansfield 6.0 through 2023.
• 2020-2022 Inclusion Blueprint Champion – Named an “Inclusion Blueprint Champion” in the 2020, 2021 and 2022 Inclusion Blueprint, a collaborative project between Diversity Lab and ChIPs that provides a one-of-a-kind survey that measures both the representation of diverse lawyers and the career-enhancing inclusion activities that law firms should employ to ensure that historically underrepresented lawyers have fair and equal access to quality work, influential people and other opportunities. Sheppard Mullin has ranked in the following categories, including: Law Firm Leadership; Business and Finance; Real Estate; Labor and Employment; Litigation and Regulatory.

• 2019 Minority Corporate Counsel Association Thomas L. Sager Award Recipient – Recognizes one Am Law 200 law firm that has championed diversity, encouraged equity and inclusion across the organization and is committed to hiring, retaining and promoting diverse attorneys. Winners are selected based on rigorous review and scoring of the nominees’ efforts across recruitment, retention, professional development, promotion and other innovative practices that break down barriers to entry for minorities in the legal profession.

• 2019 ChIPs Honor Roll Award – For the second year in a row, honored as one of the two Honor Roll Award recipients from the Chiefs in Intellectual Property Board of Directors (ChIPs), a nonprofit organization focused on advancing and connecting women in technology, law and policy.
• Client Recognition – Named as a top law firm service provider for diversity & inclusion initiatives by five prominent Fortune 500 clients in 2015-2018, including PepsiCo, Toyota, Kaiser, Symantec and, in particular, by Starbucks Coffee Company as the recipient of the company's Starbucks Law & Corporate Affairs 2018 Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion Award.

Recognition

• 2022 HRC Corporate Equality Index – For the 12^th consecutive year, received a 100% rating of LGBTQ workplace benefits.
• Diversity and Flexibility Alliance - Winner of the 2022 Flex Impact Award in recognition of the firm’s flexible working initiatives designed to ensure the wellbeing of employees and a culture of workplace flexibility.
• American Lawyer Top Firms for Diversity/2022 Diversity Scorecard – Among the top law firms for diversity in 2022 (#45) and in prior consecutive years.
• Law360 Best Law Firms for Minority Attorneys – Ranked among the best firms for minority attorneys in 2015-2022 (since survey inception). Most recently, firm ranked #11 on 2022 Diversity Snapshot in the large firm (601+ attorneys) category.
• Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) – Recognized as a "Top Performer" by LCLD among its list of the top 50 law firms who are the organization's most active member firms from 2017-2022.
• Seramount - Working Mother Magazine 2022 Best Law Firms for Women – Recognized among the 2022 list of 50 law firms that are the most committed to advancing women in the legal industry.
• 2020 Yale Law Women Top Ten Firms for Gender Equity and Top Ten Firms for Family Friendliness – Honored as one of only four law firms to make both lists.
• WomenInc. Magazine 2019 100 Best Law Firms – Listed among WomenInc. Magazine’s 2019 “Top 100 Law Firms for Women" for committing to female leadership and promotion within our firm.

Diversity Scholarships & Sponsorships

As a part of Sheppard Mullin’s commitment to diversity, the firm annually funds diversity scholarships for diverse law students through the California ChangeLawyers, Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, Hispanic American Bar Association and other legal profession entities. The Firm also presently supports or has supported in the past – through both financial sponsorship and attorney leadership – other diversity bar associations and diversity initiatives for attorneys of color, women attorneys, LGBTQ attorneys and attorneys with disabilities.

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