B&D Named a Law360 2024 Social Impact Leader
Law360 has ranked B&D in its top 100 Social Impact Leaders, a ranking that seeks to identify the 100 firms that are taking the greatest strides on social responsibility. 290 firms participated in the ranking, which is built upon five pillars: racial and ethnic diversity, gender equality, employee engagement, pro bono service, and responsible business. This is the fourth year B&D has been ranked.
DE&I Committee Co-Chairs Alyse Adamson, Evynn Overton, and Anthony Papetti commented, “We are so proud of B&D’s leadership in diversity, equity & inclusion and social justice. We are wholly committed to continuing to promote these values within our firm and the legal profession.”
DE&I are core values and business imperatives at B&D. The firm holds Mansfield Rule 7.0 Plus certification, indicating that our firm considers women, LGBTQ+, minorities, and lawyers with disabilities for at least 30% of all significant leadership roles, lateral recruiting, and business development opportunities. The “Plus” status signifies that B&D voluntarily provided data to the Diversity Lab to show our progress and outcomes of our efforts to broaden talent pools and increase the visibility of our advancement processes. In 2022 and 2023, MCCA awarded B&D its George B. Vashon Innovator Award recipient, given to a law firm with fewer than 500 attorneys that “led the way with innovative best practices to assist diverse attorneys.”
Pro Bono work is a top priority at B&D. Over half of all B&D attorneys, both principals and associates, participate in the firm’s pro bono efforts. The firm undertakes a variety of pro bono work, such as amicus briefs on racial justice and the rule of law, immigration and refugee support, landlord-tenant issues, and criminal clemency cases.
As one of the nation’s leading environmental law firms, B&D also takes a leadership role in sustainability for law offices. In its offices across the country, B&D translates its values into action, improving the firm’s sustainability and reducing its environmental impacts through the work of its Sustainability Committee. The firm also participates at the “Leadership” level in EPA’s Green Power Partnership, purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) in an amount equivalent to 100% of its electricity usage across all of its offices nationwide.
