Early on in the ABA’s most recent annual diversity Survey Report, the authors quote the French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr: “The more things change, the more they stay the same”. The bottom line from this year’s Survey is summed up in one sentence from the Report: “White attorneys, male attorneys, non-LGBTQ+ attorneys, and attorneys without disabilities dominate in representation within law firms and therefore in hires, promotions, leadership, and compensation”. The Survey confirms pretty much what all the other similar Surveys from the ABA and elsewhere show year after year. Let’s face it: by and large, the legal profession is one of the last bastions of old white male domination. From equity partnership to compensation to associate hiring, being a white male entitles you to the keys to the legal kingdom. I have written about this here and here and here and here and here. You have to wonder what needs to happen for there to be any significant change. This year’s Survey was released on May 22nd by the ABA’s Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity. This is the second annual Report on diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) in law firm practice, which is based on the Model Diversity Survey data. Those surveyed were from 287 law firms. 100,285 attorneys participated. This Survey is based on 2020 law firm demographics and thus may not reflect the entire impact of the pandemic. In addition to the statistical findings, this year’s report highlights the few statistical changes from the first report, which was based on 2019 data. The Report offers some nine “findings” and offers some key other statistics, almost all of which are depressing. The findings: There was a small increase in the percentage
When Will We Ever Learn: The Sad State of Diversity in Our Legal Profession
This post was originally published on this site