Just Like Everyone

Inclusiveness efforts seek to make GLBT lawyers—and all others—feel at home

Feb 1, 2010 10:40 AM CST

Holding a Mirror to the Profession

Our justice system should reflect the diversity of those seeking to break barriers

Feb 1, 2010 10:00 AM CST

Ex-Staff Lawyer Can Proceed With Disparate Impact Claim Against Covington, Judge Says

A former staff attorney of Covington & Burling can proceed with her federal discrimination claim over the law firm’s policy of assigning work, based on a disparate impact theory. However, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton found that Yolanda Young had waited too long to bring a similar claim that the…

Jan 29, 2010 8:56 PM CST

Six Law Firms Make Fortune’s List of Top 100 Places to Work

Six law firms are on Fortune magazine’s list of the best 100 companies to work for in 2010, up from five last year. New on this year’s list is Baker Donelson, cited for increasing its number of minority lawyers from 12 to 40 and for reporting no layoffs. The other…

Jan 21, 2010 2:29 PM CST

Diverse Law Firms Downplay Grades, Use Activism as Recruiting Tool

California law firms that have been successful in recruiting women, minorities and gays share their secrets in a study commissioned by the law firm Fenwick & West. According to a press release, their best practices include: • Placing a lower emphasis on grades for recruiting. Bingham McCutchen looks beyond grades…

Jan 20, 2010 1:32 PM CST

Dean Blames Rankings for Drop in Minorities at Law Schools

An associate dean at Thomas M. Cooley Law School blames U.S. News & World Report for a drop in the percentage of black and Mexican-American students entering law schools in the United States. A big part of the problem is the rankings and their emphasis on the Law School Admission…

Jan 7, 2010 2:40 PM CST

Shift to Smaller Firms & Value Challenge Aren’t Killing Billable Hour, Consultant Says

As attorneys and law firms have responded to the economic debacle of the past year or so, there have been significant shifts in the way they do business. But a great deal—including use of the much-criticized billable hour—hasn’t changed all that much, nor does it need to, consultant Robert Denney…

Dec 18, 2009 6:19 PM CST

By the Numbers

Dec 2, 2009 4:39 AM CST

Study Finds ‘Astounding’ Absence of Women in Top Rainmaking Roles

A new study has found that women are “terribly underrepresented” in the ranks of major rainmakers at top U.S. law firms. The study by the National Association of Women Lawyers and the NAWL Foundation asked the nation’s top 200 law firms to list the gender of their top 10 rainmakers.…

Oct 26, 2009 9:50 AM CDT

Transgender Man Can Change Name Without Medical Backup, Court Rules

A New York City court erred by requiring a transgender man to provide medical documentation before permitting him to change his name, a Manhattan state appeals court panel ruled today, reports the Associated Press. “There is no sound basis in law or policy” for imposing such a requirement concerning Leah…

Oct 21, 2009 6:14 PM CDT

Pipeline and Lateral Recruiting Blamed for Stagnating Diversity Stats

The proportion of minority lawyers at the nation’s largest and most profitable law firms has increased from 10.4 percent in 2005 to 13.9 percent in 2009, but not every law firm is reporting increased diversity. The Minority Law Journal’s Diversity Scorecard found that more than 12 percent of the law…

Oct 20, 2009 12:58 PM CDT

‘Leniency Bias’ in Job Reviews Hampers Women Lawyers, Consultant Says

Too few women lawyers are attaining partnerships, and the reason can be traced to unconscious bias affecting everything from assignments to job evaluations, according to a law firm partner and consultant. Writing in the National Law Journal, Lauren Stiller Rikleen says a lack of clear policies and objective standards can…

Oct 19, 2009 2:35 PM CDT

1st Latina Named to Top Texas Court; Other Hispanics May Soon Be Fed’l Judges

Following the historic appointment today of a Latina to a seat on the Texas Supreme Court, more Hispanics may soon be named to the state’s federal bench. A list made public today by the state’s Democratic delegation to Congress includes four, although no official candidates for the federal bench have…

Oct 8, 2009 9:25 PM CDT

Ex-NBA Playing Lawyer Is ‘Gun Shy’ of Big Firms After Short Dreier Stint

Len Elmore has had plenty of successes in his life. He was a pro basketball player for 10 years, a Harvard Law School grad, a prosecutor, a sports agent, a TV commentator, and a senior counsel at the law firm then known as LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae. Things changed…

Oct 7, 2009 4:48 PM CDT

More Black than White Associates Report Too Little Work, Anxiety and Job Search

A survey of midlevel associates finds more African-Americans than whites are reporting light workloads and anxiety about the future. More than 20 percent of African-American associates said their workloads are too light, compared to a little more than 15 percent of Asian Americans and Hispanics, and 13 percent of whites,…

Oct 6, 2009 2:16 PM CDT