Diversity

What Gender Gap? Many Women Lawyers w/ Kids Do as Well as Men, Researcher Says

It may not be whether women lawyers have children but how much they focus on their families that accounts for a widely reported gender gap between the salaries and partnership prospects of male and female attorneys at many law firms. A study of data concerning graduates of the University of…

May 13, 2009 12:14 AM CDT

Who Will Replace Souter? Today’s News

Associated Press: “Obama to talk court nomination with Senate leaders” Boston Globe: “In replacing Souter, Obama should look beyond courthouse” Fortune: “What will Souter’s retirement mean for business?” Los Angeles Times: “Two roads to the Supreme Court” The Stump (Oregonian): “Predictability should trump political leanings as Obama evaluates Supreme Court…

May 12, 2009 10:54 PM CDT

Wilson Sonsini Gets Top Spot on Diversity Scorecard

A diversity survey by the Minority Law Journal has found the increase in minority lawyers at the nation’s top 250 law firms is slowing, and the economy may be a factor. In 2008, the percentage of minority lawyers at firms responding to the survey was 13.9 percent, up from 13.4…

May 6, 2009 11:58 AM CDT

Lost in Translation

The United States may be a vast melting pot of cultures, races and ethnicities, but that doesn’t mean that lawyers have an easy time getting translation services, especially if they are in need of a translator who speaks something other than Spanish. So what’s a lawyer to do if a…

Apr 2, 2009 1:40 AM CDT

Covington Returns Yolanda Young Fire, Says Ex-Staff Lawyer Had Lackluster GPA

Sued last month by a former staff attorney who claimed Covington & Burling maintained its staff attorney ranks as a ghetto for minority attorneys, the law firm didn’t hesitate to fire back earlier when Yolanda Young apparently made similar charges in an administrative complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity…

Mar 27, 2009 6:21 PM CDT

Lawyers in ‘Sister Buddy Group’ Mourn Shooting Death of Holland & Knight Secretary

Sophia Nelson, who worked as a lawyer at Holland & Knight, is joining with other black attorneys and professionals in a new support group to discuss the kinds of personal issues that are rarely topics of conversation. Many black women are taught from youth to be strong and hide problems…

Mar 2, 2009 3:47 PM CST

Skadden, Not Retirement, Is Next Career Path for Judith Kaye

New York’s former chief judge, Judith Kaye, will join Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. The New York Times City Room blog calls Kaye’s decision to join the firm in an of counsel role “a coup” for Skadden. She will work on public interest matters at the law firm, including…

Feb 17, 2009 4:47 PM CST

Obama’s Milestone Cited Throughout Bar Diversity Awards Program

The presentation of Spirit of Excellence Awards recognizing the efforts of lawyers to advance diversity in the profession has been a highlight of ABA midyear meetings ever since they were introduced in 1996. But this year’s awards luncheon had a special glow to it. The reason? Barack Obama. Obama’s election…

Feb 14, 2009 10:31 PM CST

Ex- Associate Claims Fried Frank Didn’t Promote Her Because She Is Gay

A former litigation associate at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson claims in a bias complaint that the firm refused to promote her to partner because she is openly gay. Julie Kamps filed the complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as well as human rights divisions in New…

Feb 11, 2009 6:44 PM CST

Judicial Diversity is Lacking, But Here’s What to Do to Improve, Report Says

Women and minorities are still underrepresented on the state trial and appellate court bench, regardless whether the judges are elected or appointed to their positions. But there are things that can be done to include their chances of winning seats proportionate to their representation in the general population, according to…

Feb 2, 2009 9:13 PM CST

Detroit’s Top Lawyer Resigns Over ‘Ghetto Court’ Remark

The chief of Detroit’s law department has resigned in a flap stemming from her reference to one of the city’s courts as “a ghetto court.” Kathleen Leavey, who is white, made the comment in a meeting last week with court staffers, according to the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit…

Jan 20, 2009 12:42 PM CST

‘On Being a Black Lawyer’ Blogger Reaches Out to Minorities

Yolanda Young, the former Covington & Burling staff attorney who chronicled her experience there in the Huffington Post piece, “Law Firm Segregation Reminiscent of Jim Crow,” offers a new forum for minority lawyers on her blog, On Being a Black Lawyer. Young, who grew up impoverished in the Deep South…

Nov 25, 2008 5:53 PM CST

In Equity Partner Ranks, Men Earn an Average of $87K More than Women

Women lawyers at large law firms earn less than their male counterparts at all levels, but the difference is especially pronounced among equity partners, according to a new survey. On average, women earn $7,000 less in annual pay than men at the associate level, $14,000 less if they are of-counsel,…

Nov 18, 2008 2:50 PM CST

Ariz. Chief Justice Accused of Banning Non-PC Words

Updated: The group Judicial Watch has accused the chief justice of Arizona’s Supreme Court of imposing an implied ban on the term “illegal alien” and 17 other words or phrases in court opinions. The conservative group says Chief Justice Ruth McGregor effectively banned the words by distributing a letter from…

Nov 12, 2008 2:32 PM CST

Hard Times Could Affect Law Firms’ Minority Recruitment Efforts

About a dozen law firm managers interviewed by Legal Times said they don’t intend to invest more money in minority recruitment next year, and they may even trim some costs from the programs. Laurie Hane, a partner in Morrison & Foerster’s San Francisco office who co-chairs the firm’s diversity committee,…

Oct 21, 2008 1:35 PM CDT