Sheppard Mullin Named 2022 Inclusion Blueprint Champion by Diversity Lab
Sheppard Mullin’s Real Estate, Energy, Land Use & Environmental practice group is one of only 13 practices nationwide that has been recognized as an “Inclusion Blueprint Champion” in Diversity Lab’s 2022 Inclusion Blueprint. The Inclusion Blueprint is a one-of-a-kind assessment 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.
The recognized Inclusion Champions were required to achieve an Index Score of at least 70 out of 100 across four key indicators: (1) diversity representation based on average or above-average thresholds; (2) year-over-year diversity representation progress; (3) diversity representation tracking; and (4) meaningful inclusion practices and activities.
For the first time this year, the Champions also had to meet a diversity representation threshold or show year-over-year progress for each of the four underrepresented populations assessed by the Inclusion Blueprint, including women lawyers, underrepresented racial and ethnic lawyers, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities.
Click here to read Diversity Lab’s press release.
What is the Inclusion Blueprint?
The Inclusion Blueprint is distinctive because it measures actions that lead to greater diversity. Since its 2018 launch in partnership with ChIPs, the Inclusion Blueprint has provided law firm management and practice group leaders with a roadmap of inclusion practices to employ and track to ensure their underrepresented lawyers have fair and equal access to quality work, influential sponsors and other opportunities. For the past several years, 60-70 law firms have opted in to participate in the Inclusion Blueprint. This year, with support from legal departments that want to prioritize inclusion actions along with diversity representation, more than 240 law firms participated in the Inclusion Blueprint.
About Diversity Lab
Since 2014, Diversity Lab has built, piloted, and measured industry-wide movements to accelerate diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. Experimental ideas—such as the OnRamp Fellowship, the Inclusion Blueprint and the Mansfield Rule—are created through Diversity Lab’s Hackathons and piloted in collaboration with more than 200 top law firms and legal departments across the country. Diversity Lab leverages data, behavioral science, design thinking and technology to further develop and test new ideas and research, measure the results and share the lessons learned. www.diversitylab.com
