I, David Beveridge, personally commit to the following:

Personal Commitments

• I will use my voice as a leader in my organization and in the profession to advocate for D&I in the legal profession and in my community.
• I will use my position among my firm’s leadership to continuously foster an environment that attracts, develops, and inspires women and diverse individuals by providing opportunities for every individual to thrive, feel valued, and engaged.
• I will meet on a quarterly basis with our 8 affinity groups comprised of attorneys and business services professionals from historically underrepresented backgrounds to better understand their perspectives on how I can contribute to their professional development and enrich their experiences here at the firm.
• I will lead our firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Task Force which focuses on advancing a culture of collaboration and belonging and building a diverse workforce and partner pipeline for the future.
• I will lead our firm’s commitment to become -- and remain -- Mansfield Rule certified for our U.S. offices as a minimum baseline for holding ourselves accountable for the progress of D&I work within the firm.
• I will personally sponsor diverse junior attorneys and new partners at Shearman & Sterling each year.

Organizational Commitments

• Provide attorneys with up to 150 billable hours that they can code to Diversity and Inclusion and other efforts that contribute to the betterment of the firm’s priorities and goals.
• Sponsor four students through Thrive Scholars to provide an opportunity for them to develop and grow academically and professionally in partnership with global leaders in law.
• Continue to host Inform to Transform, quarterly anti-bias trainings that bring awareness to biases – both unconscious and conscious – and provide actionable steps to mitigate them. Inform to Transform features experts who educate on a variety of perspectives. After each session there is an optional small group discussion session designed to help us continue to collaboratively build our awareness and support each other’s educational journey.
• Continue to host monthly D&I Open Forums where attorneys and business services professionals are supported and open to sharing and learning collectively.
• Champion a 3-part series to the firm, known as UPWARD Men, that creates opportunities, provides resources, and shares best practices for male leaders and organizations to aid in successful career advancement through mentorship, sponsorship, and the allyship of women.
• Continue Women Partner Mentoring Circles where women partners and associates meet in small groups. These mentoring circles are global in scope and foster connections between practices, offices, and seniorities throughout the firm.
• Provide a safe space to share experiences and concerns through the firm’s Ombudsperson who acts as a confidential, external and independent resource available to all employees of Shearman & Sterling.