The State Bar of California announced that 16 new organizations received its DEI Leadership Seal. Another 17 organizations earned seals earlier this year, bringing the 2024 DEI Leadership Seal total to 33 organizations, and the overall total since the program launched in 2023 to 66 employers.
Employers who committed to earn a seal in the program’s first year, 2023, had a year to complete the required actions. The 16 announced today include 5 law firms, 9 nonprofit organizations, and 2 government agencies: 6 earned a Gold Seal, 5 earned Silver, and 5 earned Bronze.
“I congratulate all State Bar DEI Leadership Seal recipients and those committed to doing the work to support DEI in the legal profession for the benefit of our field and the diverse public we all serve,” said Leah Wilson, Executive Director. “Particularly in these times, when challenges to the fundamental value of inclusion abound, we are proud to stand firm in our commitment to a diverse and equitable profession and to have such excellent partners in our efforts.”
To earn a DEI Seal Leadership Seal, recipients must implement five or more of the 10 action items outlined in the program’s requirements. The first two action items are mandatory. Those that meet five of the items receive a Bronze DEI Leadership Seal, those with seven, Silver, and those with nine, Gold.
The State Bar’s 2023 Diversity Report Card found that while people of color (driven mostly by women of color), saw record gains as new attorneys, white attorneys still constitute nearly two-thirds of the overall attorney population, in contrast to California’s highly diverse population.
An important part of the State Bar’s mission is to promote and support efforts for greater access to, and inclusion in, the legal system, and Goal 2 of its Strategic Plan outlines the State Bar’s DEI mandates. The funding to support DEI efforts comes from an opt-in, $3 portion of the annual attorney licensing fee.
The State Bar does not require or encourage any DEI Leadership Seal applicant or participant to make any employment decisions based in whole or in part on any individual’s race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, color, ethnicity, or national origin, or to otherwise treat any individual differently on these bases. DEI Leadership Seal applicants or participants should consult legal counsel with questions concerning their compliance with applicable law.
Original source can be found here.