As the legal community celebrates Black History Month, the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) reports mixed lawyer diversity numbers. Law firms have historically struggled with lawyer diversity. However, the industry appears to be prioritizing a diverse workforce. Seventy-five percent of Jenner & Block’s 2019 partner class identify as racially diverse or women. Drinker Biddle […]
For the past two years, I have had the honor of managing the Commission on Professionalism’s Statewide Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mentoring Program. Rather than being just another part of the job, it has truly been an honor. To have played a small part in connecting lawyers around the state, with the ultimate goal of transferring knowledge to […]
Did you know only 1 percent of attorneys in the top 100 corporate law firms are members of minority groups? And as NALP reported this past January, among employers listed in its NALP Directory of Legal Employers, only 7.52% of partners were minorities. Meanwhile, the National Association for Women Lawyers reported that the pay gap […]
Happy New Year, young lawyers! As you start out in 2018, take a minute to reflect on your professional growth in 2017. Recognize where you succeeded and where you fell short. Think about how you want to continue your growth in 2018. What worked last year? What didn’t work? What are the goals you want […]
In June, we reported on the ABA’s 2015 Employment Report for Law Grads. To recap, we found that the employment rate remained nearly the same between the Class of 2014 and 2015. Despite the decline in enrollment, the unemployment rate hovered at about 9.7%. Fast forward to August and NALP has more to add to […]
Last month, I spoke about increasing diversity and inclusion at the NALP Annual Education conference. My co-presenters and I discussed recruiting and retaining millennials of color. The hypothetical scenario we used was Marcus, a third year black law student, and Jim, the white male managing partner at a fictional international law firm called Walker Cross. After talking […]
More than 170 general counsel and corporate legal officers demand big law firms commit to diversity or they’ll take their business elsewhere. The open letter comes on the heels of dismal law firm diversity numbers from the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) and an online debate sparked by Paul Weiss’ all-white and majority male partner class. […]
In December 2019, the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) released its annual Report on Diversity in U.S. Law Firms. Across the board, progress for women and people of color is, to quote the report commentary, “at a rate so slow as to almost seem imperceptible at times.” Additionally, a recent report from the American […]
Each year, the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) releases statistics on minority representation in the legal profession. The 2016 numbers have gone up, slightly. Minority attorneys still haven’t made a significant dent in the overall composition of lawyers in American law firms. According to the 2016 report, from 2015-2016, the number of non-white lawyers in […]
The ABA released its annual snapshot of the legal profession last month. The profile explores trends in 11 subject areas — including demographics, law schools, the judiciary, technology, and the pandemic. The report is based on a survey of more than 4,000 ABA members last fall and a follow-up survey of nearly 1,400 senior lawyers in March.
Have you ever wondered what your fellow attorneys are learning during their required CLE hours? To stay competitive in the legal profession, it is important to educate yourself on a variety of topics, including changing social norms and the associated legal needs.
In this episode of Reimagining Law, we talk to Camille M. Davidson, Dean and Professor of Law at Southern Illinois University School of Law, and Antonio Lee, Assistant State’s Attorney at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, about how the legal profession has changed for Black attorneys.
