Shearman & Sterling is proud to have participated in the inaugural Black Lawyers Matter program, run by the National Bar Association-Commercial Law Section. The BLM Program aims to positively impact diversity in the legal profession by partnering with leading law firms and corporations to provide work experience opportunities for talented Black law students in the U.S. 

An impactful initiative, the BLM program involves selected students undertaking a paid, virtual internship with the firm, during which these students are provided with real-world exposure to the legal profession, formal and on-the-job training and invaluable networking and mentoring opportunities, all designed to help them secure quality employment within the legal sector.

The BLM Program, which was brought to us by LaTanya Langley, Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary - Americas at firm client BIC, was a huge success and saw interns work with lawyers from across the firm’s network. The firm’s participation in the program was spearheaded by partner Nicholas Buckworth and Chief Diversity Officer Sandra Bang, and received direct sponsorship from Senior Partner David Beveridge. Associates Camilla Ihenetu and Akofa Tsiagbe also played key roles as mentors to the interns.

The success of the BLM program is evidenced by the fact that our inaugural BLM intern was offered a position on the firm’s competitive summer associate program. Our summer associate program aims to give law students the opportunity to learn as much as possible about our firm, its practice areas, and the nature of legal practice generally. 

The BLM program dovetails with a number of other initiatives run by the firm's Global Diversity and Inclusion Task Force to deliver further change within our firm and wider communities. More information on our initiatives, and steadfast commitment to fostering an inclusive, equitable and safe environment for our people, our clients, and local and global communities, can be found here.