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What is the least diverse profession? Surprisingly it seems to be law. Surprising because Black lawyers seem to be everywhere, from the White House to the new U.S. attorney general Loretta Lynch. But looks can be deceiving.
According to Bureau of Labor statistics, law is actually one of the least racially diverse professions in the nation when compared to other professions. In fact, 88 percent of lawyers are white. And women make up just over a third of all lawyers in the country. And since most people don’t realize the diversity problem law has, not much is being done to solve it.
And the higher one goes–law firm partners, general counsels of Fortune 500 corporations, and law school deans–the less diverse it is. “Women account for only 17 percent of equity partners, and only seven of the nation’s 100 largest firms have a woman as chairman or managing partner,” reports The Washington Post. And according to various studies, men are two to five times more likely to make partner than women.
PostIn the study, a legal memo was given to law firm partners for “writing analysis.” Half the partners were told that the author was African American; the other half were told that the writer was white. The white man’s memo was given a rating of 4.1 with 5 being the best; the African American’s memo received a 3.2. The white man was praise for his potential and analytical skills while the partners said the African American’s memo needed “lots of work.”
Women too are subject to a double standard as some in the industry perceive women as not been aggressive enough for the law profession.Women and minorities are often left out of the networks of mentoring and sponsorship. American Bar Association research found that 62 percent of women of color and 60 percent of white women felt excluded from formal and informal networking opportunities, only four percent of white men did.
The law has a long way to go.
