Nobody looks at the persistently woeful numbers when it comes to diversity amongst the partnership and thinks that the first Black leader of a big firm dates back all that long. But if put on the spot, you’d probably guess it was more recent than it really was.
Even the first African-American chair of a Biglaw firm was a little surprised to learn he was the first.
Bloomberg Law News put together a bio on the life and career of Quarles & Brady chair emeritus John W. Daniels Jr, who led the firm from 2006 to 2015.
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That’s halfway into the aughts. Of the 21st century.
Granted there are still overtly racist actors trying to block Black attorneys from building a portfolio of business as of less than a year ago, so it’s not necessarily surprising. But I’d wager a lot of folks were as surprised as Daniels to learn that he was the first.
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Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.