BAL Ranks #1 on Law360's Diversity Snapshot Again

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Aug 18, 2021, 16:09 ET

DALLAS, Aug. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pioneering immigration firm Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP (BAL) has once again earned the #1 spot on Law360's 2021 Diversity Snapshot, continuing to lead the legal industry on diversity and inclusion.

BAL tops all other law firms of its size, scoring a "robust" 22.9 points above the benchmark, and more than 10 points ahead of the second-place firm, according to the influential annual ranking of law firm diversity. BAL's diversity is represented at every level, with minorities making up 28.6% of Equity Partners, 23.1% of Nonequity Partners, and 54.5% of Associates.

"As a firm, we deliberately bring people of diverse walks of life together and empower them to contribute at all levels of the organization," said Frieda Garcia, a BAL Partner. "Our oneBAL culture is the embodiment of inclusion: a place where every individual feels welcome and valued for their unique background, skills and ideas."

BAL has become a thought leader on diversity, an area where many law firms continue to lag behind. Garcia will be speaking about "Women, Diversity & Inclusion: Tools to Achieve a Collaborative Workplace Culture" with BAL Partner Kortney Gibson and Senior Director of Human Resources Julie Dalton at the Society for Human Resource Management Annual Conference in Las Vegas next month.

Last year, BAL launched a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion program, inviting employees from every department to actively participate in firm-wide focus groups and brainstorm initiatives to further advance diversity within the firm and in the community. The focus groups resulted in more than 40 new employee-led DE&I initiatives and 12 "affinity" groups created by employees.

"Diversity, inclusion and empowerment are not just abstract values for us – we put them into practice in every aspect of our work and daily interactions with our clients and colleagues," said BAL Managing Partner Jeremy Fudge. "Even with our #1 rankings, we have continued to reflect on how we can improve and take concrete steps to create real change that makes a positive difference in people's lives."

BAL holds the #1 spot on The American Lawyer's 2021 and 2020 Diversity Scorecard, and ranks as the #1 Law Firm for Women by the National Law Journal three years running (2019, 2020 and 2021) and #1 Best Law Firm for Female Attorneys on Law360's 2020 Glass Ceiling Report.

About Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP (BAL)

BAL, the world's leading corporate immigration law firm, is the Best Lawyers® "Law Firm of the Year" in U.S. Immigration Law for 2019, ranks #1 on the Diversity Scorecard by The American Lawyer (2020 and 2021) and the #1 Law Firm for Women according to the National Law Journal (2019, 2020 and 2021). BAL's Cobalt® digital immigration services platform won the 2020 CODiE Award for Best Legal Tech Product and the prestigious CIO100 award for Innovative Use of Intelligent Automation in Immigration Services. BAL is singularly focused on meeting the immigration challenges of corporate clients around the world in ways that make immigration more strategic and enable clients to be more successful. Established in 1980, BAL has consistently provided immigration expertise, top-notch information security and leading technology innovation. The firm entered into a strategic alliance with Deloitte UK to create the world's first global immigration service delivery model. 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.