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As 2017 Comes To A Close, Does Your Law Firm Have Any Receipts For Diversity?

Without significant changes, diversity in the legal industry will remain on life support.

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“It’s Christmas time in Hollis, Queens / Mom’s cooking chicken and collard greens / Rice and stuffing, macaroni and cheese / And Santa put gifts under Christmas trees.” — Run-D.M.C.

So now we are approaching Christmas.

What has your law firm done? Were you able to improve your diversity statistics? Or did this year bring more of the same old culture, strategy, and status quo.

Another year is over and a new one will begin.

Is your law firm creating a clear value proposition for having a diverse and inclusive culture and setting a few clear targets that balance complexity with cohesiveness? Will you take the time to define the roll-out strategy for your diversity initiatives, launch one to two highly visible flagship projects at the beginning of the year — and monitor them rigorously?

So now we are approaching Christmas.

I hope you have fun and do your best to stay in touch with the near and dear ones and remember the old and the young.

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I hope y’all have a great holiday season and a Happy New Year. I hope it’s a good one, but I do have some fears.

Minorities in the legal profession have increased by less than 1% since 2000. And diversity in our profession has flatlined since the Great Recession.

In 2009, Black/African-American lawyers represented 1.71% of law firm partners. Today, Black/African-American lawyers represent 1.81% of partners. Currently, Asian-Americans and Hispanics make up 3.13% and 2.31% of partners, respectively. Both groups have increased by less than 1% since 2009.

Without significant changes, diversity in the legal industry will remain on life support.

Last December, many attorneys and law firms made New Year’s resolutions to improve themselves and their organizations’ cultures. Were you able to keep yours? Was your law firm able to raise the floor this year for diversity, equity, and inclusion?

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If so, great. If not, what do you plan on doing differently? Another year has passed, do you know if your firm’s diversity initiatives are actually helping or hurting?

If you have found success in your D&I initiatives this year, what is working for you? For everybody else, what will you and your organization do differently in 2018 to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in your workplace?

If your law firm is working on new and disruptive diversity programs and initiatives, please let us know. We’d love to hear from you!

Renwei Chung is the Diversity Columnist at Above the Law. You can contact Renwei by email at projectrenwei@gmail.com, follow him on Twitter (@renweichung), or connect with him on LinkedIn. 

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