Law360 released results from its fifth annual Diversity Snapshot, which surveyed 300 law firms on their minority representation at the non-partner and partner level. According to Law360’s report, minorities make up 16.4% of all attorneys and 9.5% of partners in law firms across the country. Firms with the highest levels of minority attorneys offered benefits including formal mentorship programs, business marketing workshops, and integration into the firm’s community at large, the report revealed.
In the biggest category of ‘Big Law’ firms (600+ attorneys), Wilson Sonsini tops the list as the largest firm with the most minority lawyers this year, with 20.4% minority equity partners. Additional ‘Big Law’ firms with the highest percentage of minority attorneys included Morrison & Foerster (17.3%), Paul Hastings (13.8%), and Cleary Gottlieb (13.1%). For medium to large sized firms (300-599 attorneys), the top firms for minorities included Fragomen, Del Rey (23.5%), Fenwick & West (13.8%), and Shearman & Sterling (13.2%). For the smallest sized firms (150-299 attorneys), the best firms for minorities were Atkinson Andelson (32.1%), Best Best & Krieger (23.2%), and Munger Tolles (19.0%).
“The top firms in each size category have demonstrable diversity levels of at least 20% of all attorneys at the firm, creating examples of what a more diverse and more inclusive workforce can look like” Law360 notes. “It’s no secret that the legal industry is one of the least diverse professions in the country. But some law firms have made notable progress, and the firms listed are making some headway and turning longstanding diversity goals into workplace realities,” (as quoted in Law360).
See the full article and rankings on Law360.
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The American Lawyer reports that according to recent data released by Vault and MCCA, minorities and female lawyers are making gains in overall representation at the nation’s largest firms. According to the Vault/MCCA Law Firm Diversity Survey, female attorneys represented more than 46 percent of law firm associates and 23 percent of all partners, and for the first time in the 14 years of data collection, the percentage of women equity partners exceeded 20 percent.
Law firms also brought in more female partners as laterals than they have in the past: 28 percent of lateral partners hired in 2017 were women, compared to 24 percent in 2016. And even though women are better represented in the non-equity ranks, many of the new female partners are equity partners. Women represented 29 percent of all new equity partners in 2017, a figure higher than any previous year. The rising number of female partners can be attributed to increases in both lateral hiring and promotions, the report revealed.
Minority representation is growing at all levels, from associates to partners to those in positions of leadership, the survey notes. Since 2007, representation of minority lawyers among law firm partners has grown three percentage points, from 6 percent to 9 percent. Attorneys of color now represent 25 percent of associates and 13 percent of counsel. More than 9 percent of attorneys who serve on management or executive committees are minorities. These figures are all higher than those reported in previous years. Nevertheless, lawyers of color are still much less likely to be partners than white lawyers: 46 percent of white attorneys are partners, compared to 24 percent of minority attorneys, (as quoted in The American Lawyer).
Additionally, the report found that law firms are recruiting more lawyers and law students of color, and women make up the majority of these new hires. Among new attorneys hired in 2017, 26 percent were people of color. Approximately 32 percent of the 2017 summer class were minorities, which is a percentage point higher than the year before and six points higher than 2007. Women also hold more leadership positions than they have in the past, serving in increasing numbers on law firm executive committees, as heads of office and practice leaders, the report notes. Almost 24 percent of management committee members are female, as are 24 percent of attorneys leading practice departments and 21 percent of U.S. office heads, (as quoted in The American Lawyer).
See highlights from the full article on The American Lawyer.
Contact Bill Sugarman for more information.