The DEI Leadership Seal recognizes legal employers with California attorneys that commit to and implement research-driven actions that further workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The seal is available to all legal employers with California-licensed attorneys, including law firms of all sizes, in-house legal departments, legal academia, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies with attorney staff.
A core component of the State Bar’s mission is to promote diversity and inclusion in the legal system and legal profession. Having a diverse legal profession positively impacts the administration of justice, ensures fairness, and promotes the rule of law.
As part of its 2022 Diversity Report Card, the State Bar published Calls to Action that legal employers and attorneys can implement to support greater diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. With a goal to encourage public commitments to advance DEI in the legal profession, the State Bar has launched the DEI Leadership Seal program.
Participating organizations could include an entire organization–such as a nonprofit legal aid provider or a local law firm–or a smaller unit or department within an organization–such as the in-house legal department of a corporation. A nationwide law firm can choose to implement the Action Items and therefore receive the DEI Leadership Seal, for their entire firm or for only their California office(s).
Organizations that commit to pursuing at least 5 of the 10 Action Items listed below will be recognized as participating employers and listed on this website.
Participating employers will have one year after applying to the program to implement the Action Items. Once an organization implements the Action Items, it will be recognized as a DEI Leadership Seal recipient. Seal recipients will be recognized in the following tiers:
DEI Leadership Seal recipients may use the seal on their own website and materials to signal their participation and recognition.
In future years, DEI Leadership Seal Action Items will change to encourage employers to commit to additional, more ambitious steps toward diversity, equity, and inclusion to continue participating in the program.
As an employer, the State Bar will also apply for the DEI Leadership Seal with the goal to obtain gold tier status. We are excited to share our progress on this journey—stay tuned for more!