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:

• 2024 Top Legal Organizations for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Award – The firm was recognized by the Orange County Coalition for Diversity in the Law (OCDDL) for advancing DEI in the Orange County legal community in the past year. 
• 2024 ChIPs Honor Roll Award – For the third time, recognized as a leading law firm for gender inclusion in the Chiefs in Intellectual Property Board of Directors (ChIPs) Honor Roll. ChIPs is a nonprofit organization focused on advancing and connecting women in technology, law and policy.

• 2024 Mansfield Rule 7.0 Certification Plus Status – We have received certification plus status every year from Diversity Lab since the program's inception in 2018. 
• 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.

• 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

• Bloomberg Law 2024 DEI Framework – Recognized for the third consecutive year for the firm’s level of disclosure of diversity-related metrics and distinguished performance against six pillar areas: recruitment and retention, leadership and talent pipeline, business strategy and innovation, firm demographics, diversity and inclusion + marketing, and disclosure.

• American Lawyer 2024 Diversity Scorecard – Among the top law firms for diversity in 2024 and in prior consecutive years.
• 2024 HRC Corporate Equality Index – For the 14^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.
• Law360 Best Law Firms for Minority Attorneys – Ranked among the best firms for minority attorneys in 2015-2024 (since survey inception). Most recently, firm ranked #17 on the 2024 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 2017-2023.
• Seramount 2024 Best Law Firms for Women and Diversity – Recognized among the 2024 list of 50 law firms that are the most committed to advancing women and diverse attorneys in the legal industry.
• Yale Law Women+ 2024 Top Firms Report – Honored with the Agency & Flexibility award, which recognizes firms that effectively enable attorneys to balance individual life choices with their careers through flexible work schedules, childcare and paid leave.
• 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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