The biggest law firms in the US are failing in diversifying their workforce, Law360’s “2017 Law Firm Diversity Snapshot” report reveals.
Minority lawyer representation grew less than a percentage point from the publication’s preceding survey, it said. The abysmal growth persists despite minorities making up more than 20% of law students for nearly two decades, according data from the American Bar Association.
In the last enrolment period, diversity in law schools in the US topped 30%, yet among surveyed law firms, only 15.3% of attorneys and 8.8% of partners identified as coming from a minority background.
The survey involved more than 300 law firms, which includes 87% of the top 100 firms in the US and 80% of the top 200 firms in the US by lawyer headcount.
Among equity partners, only 7.9% identified as minorities, a slight increase from 7.6% in last year’s survey.
Among firms with more than 600 lawyers, the top five firms for diversity are:
- Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati: 20.3%
- White & Case: 18.8%
- Morrison & Foerster: 14.9%
- Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith: 14%
- Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison: 14%
Among firms with 300 to 599 lawyers, the top five are:
- Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy: 25%
- Best Best & Krieger: 20%
- Hanson Bridgett: 19.4%
- Sedgwick: 18.4%
- Munger, Tolles & Olson: 17.1%
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