Diversity Manager Hiring Rises, But Are They Effective?
Courtesy Altman Weil.
Corrected: Last year, 50 percent of law firms had designated diversity managers, and according to a new Altman Weil survey, that number has risen to nearly 60 percent.
All 80 firms surveyed now have diversity committees as well.
“This year, for the first time, more than half of law firms surveyed report having a diversity director,” Altman Weil Senior Consultant Virginia Essandoh said in a release about the survey (PDF). “This continuing investment in diversity is a positive sign and is reflected in recent industry studies showing some increases in large firms’ diversity demographics.”
The survey involved 80 of the 194 AmLaw 200 firms Altman Weil contacted in March and April.
According to the findings, 79 percent of diversity managers or directors are lawyers at the firms. That’s up from 67 percent in 2007 and 57 percent in 2005. Yet the number of full-time diversity managers is down, from 61 percent in 2007 to 53 percent in 2008.
The median annual total cash compensation for diversity managers surveyed was $184,000, up about 5 percent from the previous year. Diversity managers who have a J.D. report they take home a median $195,000, while nonlawyer professionals earn $162,500.
Also, diversity managers are still accountable to the billable-hour system. Altman Weil reports that 44 percent of them are balancing duties with their regular law practices. Some 65 percent have billable hour requirements as high as 1,500 to 2,000 hours a year.
“Diversity directors consistently tell us that the position requires total focus in order to do it well,” Essandoh says. “Putting practicing lawyers in this role almost certainly reduces the overall effectiveness of firms’ diversity efforts.”
Because of a reporting error, post was corrected at 3:41 p.m. to reflect that in last year’s survey, 50 percent of law firms reported having a diversity manager.
Correction
Because of a reporting error, post was corrected at 3:41 p.m. to reflect that in last year’s survey, 50 percent of law firms reported having a diversity manager. The Journal regrets the error.
