Sheppard

With expertise in a variety of practices, including corporate, litigation, employment, intellectual property, antitrust, and finance, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP has grown remarkably in recent times. The firm has added several industry-focused practices, including healthcare, insurance, and entertainment work, and serves clients such as Allstate Insurance, Disney, Mastercard, Peloton, and Spotify.

Starting Up

Sheppard, as it is known today, entered the world in 1927 as Haight & Mathes, the brainchild of two young lawyers who left a small Los Angeles firm to strike out on their own. James Sheppard joined the nascent firm the following year. Name partners J. Stanley Mullin and George Richter cut their teeth as law clerks during the waning days of the Great Depression. With the 1938 hiring of Harvard grad Gordon Hampton, the firm’s quartet on the nameplate was complete and has been maintained through today; such longevity is rare in this age of mergers, spin-offs, and partner raids. Given the history of prestigious attorneys who have graced Sheppard’s halls, the firm’s continued success and growth are not surprising.

They’ve Got It Covered

You may need an abacus to count all of the industries that Sheppard supports. The firm’s history includes experience in blockchain, cannabis, venture capital, entertainment, esports, financial services, healthcare, insurance, life sciences, private equity, real estate investment trusts, and transportation.

The firm is well-known for its labor and employment practice—which ranks among the top 20 in Vault’s practice area rankings. Sheppard attorneys counsel all types of clients, from Fortune 100 companies to startups. They serve as a go-to employment counselor for many clients by providing advice on employment agreements, employee arbitration agreements and handbooks, sexual harassment policies, and other workplace issues. Sheppard lawyers also handle myriad employment litigation issues—from affirmative action, discrimination, and whistleblower actions to wages and hours matters. In addition, the firm counsels clients on union management and relations.

Sheppard also boasts a reputable and growing healthcare practice, with more than 230 lawyers handling some of the largest healthcare services deals aimed to accelerate innovation in primary care delivery, enhance the healthcare experience, and improve patient health outcomes. Using a cross-disciplinary approach, these attorneys handle a range of issues related to healthcare, including antitrust, compliance, cybersecurity, fraud, HIPAA, licensing, litigation, private equity, and regulatory matters.

Supporting Diversity

When it comes to diversity and inclusion, Sheppard puts its money where its mouth is. The firm supports firmwide affinity groups for women, people of color, veterans, and LGBTQ+ individuals—all of which are open to allies. These groups, along with locally driven Office Working Groups, help foster a strong sense of belonging and promote a more inclusive workplace. The firm offers gender-neutral parental leave, individualized wellness coaching, and mentoring programs. Moreover, Sheppard provides billable hour credit to all attorneys who participate in initiatives that support the firm’s culture of inclusion.

• After three jury trials, Sheppard secured a $71 million federal jury award for Grammy Award-winning musician Clifford “T.I.” Harris, his wife Tameka “Tiny” Harris, and the pop group they founded (The OMG Girlz) against MGA Entertainment for willful infringement of trade dress and publicity rights.
• Represented QVC in its first live sports initiative through a multi-year sponsorship and broadcast deal with USA Pickleball. QVC streamed 27 hours of live match play during the 2024 Biofreeze USA Pickleball National Championships in Mesa, AZ.
• Secured a major victory for SCAN Health Plan, allowing it to recoup $250 million in Medicare Advantage payments after challenging CMS' STAR Ratings methodology. This case paves the way for similar lawsuits nationwide against CMS, potentially unlocking billions in federal funding for Medicare Advantage plans.
• Represented Paso Robles-based luxury wine brand DAOU Vineyards in its $900 million sale to Treasury Wine Estates, one of the world's leading wine companies.

• Top 10 in the Summer Associate Satisfaction Survey rankings, 2024—Law360
• Top 25 in the Midlevel Associates Survey, 2024—The American Lawyer
• Top 35 among AmLaw 200 firms on the A-List, 2024, The American Lawyer
• Healthcare Practice Group of the Year, 2024 —Law360
• Named a Most Admired Law Firm in Los Angeles in 2024 (Los Angeles Business Journal) and a Best Place to Work in New York in 2025 (Crain’s) and in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, 2025 (San Francisco Business Times)