BAL Again Ranks Among Most Diverse Law Firms in the U.S.: #1 in Asian attorney representation and #2 for Hispanic attorneys

DALLAS, June 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP (BAL) is once again ranked as one of the most diverse law firms in the country, ranking #1 among all firms for our percentage of Asian attorneys and #2 for Hispanic attorney representation, according to The American Lawyer's 2022 Diversity Scorecard.

"We take pride in steering the legal industry toward greater diversity, and we're thrilled to lead in the representation of Asian and Hispanic attorneys," said BAL Partner Frieda Garcia, who manages the firm's West Coast operations. "Our diverse legal team enables us to better serve clients from every corner of the globe. We look forward to continuing to grow our DE&I initiatives to provide even more leadership opportunities for legal professionals of color."

More than half, 55%, of BAL's 169 attorneys identify as people of color, and diversity is integral to the firm's leadership—52% of attorneys in supervisory roles are minorities and 38% of the firm's equity partners are minorities.

"We have always known that it's our diverse cultures and experiences that make BAL such a phenomenal place to work," said Jeremy Fudge, BAL's Managing Partner. "We want to welcome more minority partners and promote diverse rising stars, which will expand all of our perspectives. We are redoubling our efforts in minority recruiting with specific and unique programs to increase and sustain opportunities for African American and Black lawyers. It's an ongoing effort and we're in this for the long haul – in the coming years, we fully expect to lead the industry in every DE&I metric."

BAL's ranking reflects the firm's intentional efforts to create an inclusive workplace culture—leadership renewed its commitment to those efforts following the national racial reckoning in the summer of 2020. Through more than 40 DE&I initiatives such as creating a DE&I board, adding affinity groups, engaging in firmwide focus groups, and increasing minority and HBCU recruiting efforts, BAL has cultivated a culture where diverse employees feel welcomed and empowered to pursue career and personal growth.

BAL won The Best Company for Diversity in 2021 by Comparably, based solely on employee ratings. Minority employees at BAL give the firm an "A+" in rating their team, manager and compensation.  

"When we recruit diverse employees, we ensure that our firm is greater than the sum of its very talented parts," said Partner Rob Caballero, who manages BAL's Houston and Austin operations. "Drawing from our unique backgrounds, we learn from and inspire each other as we make a positive difference in people's lives around the world."

BAL, the world's leading corporate immigration law firm, is singularly focused on meeting the immigration challenges of corporate clients around the world in ways that make immigration more strategic and enable businesses to be more successful. Established in 1980, BAL has consistently provided immigration expertise, people-centered client services, and leading technology innovation. BAL's Cobalt® digital immigration services platform won the 2020 CODiE Award for Best Legal Tech Product, the prestigious CIO100 award for Innovative Use of Intelligent Automation in Immigration Services, and Legalweek's Most Innovative Law Firm Operations Team of 2021. In 2018, BAL entered into a first-of-its-kind strategic alliance with Deloitte U.K. to create the world's first global immigration service delivery model. BAL has ranked #1 on multiple industry rankings for diversity, equity and inclusion, including #1 on the Diversity Scorecard by The American Lawyer (2020 and 2021), Law360's Diversity Snapshot (2020 and 2021), and the #1 Law Firm for Women according to the National Law Journal (2019, 2020 and 2021). BAL and its leaders are highly ranked in every major legal publication, including Best Lawyers, Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, and Who's Who Legal. See website for details: https://www.bal.com.

SOURCE Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP