Page 29 - Sheppard Mullin Capabilities Overview Prepared for Regeneron

Recent D&I Accomplishments and Initiatives
In April 2022, the Firm established the Guy N. Halgren Diversity Fellowship for law school students. The fellowship is named in honor of Guy N. Halgren, chairman emeritus, who served as Sheppard Mullin’s chairman for 20 years, from 2001 to 2021, for his longstanding commitment to creating a Firm culture that values and celebrates diversity and inclusion. Every year, Sheppard Mullin will select three qualified first-year law school students and award each a $35,000 scholarship to be paid in three installments over the course of their law school education. The first two payments are made upon conclusion of the recipient’s successful participation in the Firm’s summer associate program, after their first and second years of law school. The final installment is paid upon graduation and acceptance of a full-time associate position at Sheppard Mullin. The fellowship is open to first-year students who are enrolled full-time and in good standing at ABA-accredited law schools and demonstrate a commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion through their activities, background and life experiences. Potential recipients of the fellowship must also demonstrate significant financial need and to have overcome considerable obstacles to reach law school, such as socio-economic disadvantage, disability, being the first in their family to attend college, attending under-resourced schools, or other considerable hardships and challenges.
In October 2021, Sheppard Mullin appointed Lois Durant as its first Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. Under her leadership we have consistently improved our percentages for both women partners and partners of color. We have innovative professional development and retention programs for all attorneys as well as recruiting programs for law students, including networking opportunities, panel discussions, mock interviews and workshops all of which are aimed at educating and preparing diverse law students.
In May 2021, the Firm launched the Sheppard Mullin Impact Initiative, which is designed to inspire and empower the entire Sheppard Mullin family by creating opportunities for us to improve our communities through giving – both financially and by volunteering. Since the launch, we have donated nearly $500,000 to non-profit organizations across the country including, The Buried Alive Project, California Innocence Project, Capital Area Food Bank, Crossroads Community Services, Dallas CASA, KiDS NEED MoRE, Korean Immigrant Workers Alliance, Los Angeles Urban League, The Monarch School, Thurgood Marshall Bar Association, and The Trevor Project. The nonprofits are centered around fighting the effects of systemic racism and structural inequities that are far reaching in our society. In addition to our financial contributions, the Firm also performs community service for many of these organizations. The Firm’s community service efforts are coordinated through its diversity and inclusion office working groups, which are active in each U.S. office. The Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Lois Durant, and the DEI team ensure that these efforts align with the Firm’s DEI strategy and evaluate them to ensure that they are having the desired impact on the communities that we serve.
Sheppard Mullin was the recipient of the 2021 Beacon of Justice Award from the National Legal Aid & Defender Association, which recognizes law firms that have provided an exemplary commitment to pro bono, with 2022’s focus placed on pro bono work addressing systemic racial disparities. In 2020, the Firm also appointed Daniel Brown as its first dedicated, full time pro bono partner. The pro bono work that we do is extensive and includes, police reform, support of veterans, support of the LGBTQ+ community, immigration and asylum work, and support of people with disabilities.
We are particularly proud of the police reform work and our work on behalf of people with disabilities. The Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) Project, created by Sheppard Mullin and Georgetown Law to teach police officers to intervene to prevent misconduct and harm. The ABLE project has already resulted in more than 215 police departments signing up to the ABLE Project, which represents 121,750 officers who will be trained to intervene to prevent harm to over 74 million community members. ABLE is yet another way in which we continue to focus our efforts on pro bono projects in our community, and across the nation, that make a difference. In June 2022, the Sheppard Mullin pro bono team achieved a historic settlement agreement to make the New York City subway accessible for people with disabilities who cannot use stairs to access the system. The settlement agreement calls for the Metropolitan Transit Authority to make at least 95 percent of the New York City subway’s 364 currently inaccessible stations (more than 75 percent) accessible by 2055.
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