Diversity

My Life of Hard-Won Achievement

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe’s Christina Guerola Sarchio: “While you can never fully escape from people’s biases and misconceptions, I found the secret to success is to identify people—and, importantly, clients—who appreciate what I bring to the table, value diversity and treat others with respect.”

Aug 1, 2017 1:45 AM CDT

Trailblazers honored with award named for first female lawyer in America

This year, five lawyers were selected to receive the award. “We are honored to recognize this spectacular group of women,” says Michele Coleman Mayes, chair of the women’s commission, in a statement. “We applaud their achievements, knowing that their efforts will inspire a new generation of women lawyers.”

Aug 1, 2017 12:40 AM CDT

Asian-Americans are apparently losing interest in law school; report shows outsize enrollment drop

Asian-American enrollment in law school has declined more steeply than that of other racial and ethnic groups, according to a report documenting a glass ceiling for this group in the law.

From 2009 to 2016, Asian-Americans’ first-year enrollment in law school dropped by 43 percent, compared to a 28 percent drop for all students, a 34 percent drop among whites and a 14 percent drop among African-Americans. Hispanic enrollment, meanwhile, increased by 29 percent.

Jul 20, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Law firms test ‘Mansfield rule’ to promote more women and minorities into leadership roles

Thirty large law firms have pledged to test a new “Mansfield rule” that requires 30 percent of its leadership candidates to be minorities and women. The rule is named after Arabella Mansfield, the first woman admitted to practice law in the United States, report the Am Law Daily (sub. req.)…

Jun 12, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

How to land government contracts as a minority- or women-owned firm (podcast with transcript)

Government entities at all levels often set aside a portion of work for minority and women-owned businesses, including law firms. But many people are unsure about how to land these contracts or receive certification.

May 30, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

Want to expand your audience? Sign up for ABA’s Diverse Speakers Directory

Do you have expertise on a legal topic and belong to an underrepresented demographic? Then the American Bar Association may have speaker opportunities to send your way. The ABA has recently launched a Diverse Speakers Directory. It is intended to help the organization meet Goal III of its mission and…

May 22, 2017 12:02 PM CDT

General counsel say bold moves like HP’s diversity mandate are necessary to achieve lasting change

Achieving diversity in BigLaw has proved an uphill battle for advocates of inclusion. But many general counsel—who are uniquely positioned to influence the dynamic of legal teams—have chosen to direct their business to firms that show a commitment to diversity.

May 1, 2017 2:30 AM CDT

More companies push for diversity in outside law firms; Facebook adopts one-third mandate

Facebook is one of the latest companies to join the push for outside law firms to embrace diversity. Facebook implemented its new mandate last Saturday, the New York Times reports. Its in-house legal department is requiring outside law firms to staff legal teams working on Facebook matters with at least…

Apr 7, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

Can changing how we measure lawyer performance unlock diversity?

HP’s legal department recently announced that it will withhold up to 10 percent of fees from law firms that do not meet its diversity standards, to draw attention to law’s lagging performance in advancing diversity.

Apr 6, 2017 8:30 AM CDT

Arizona Summit law school to affiliate with historically black college

Corrected: The for-profit Arizona Summit School of Law, which is part of the InfiLaw consortium, announced Friday that it will sign an affiliation agreement with Bethune-Cookman University, a historically black college in Florida. The law school campus will remain in Arizona, according to a press release. Summit has an existing…

Mar 10, 2017 8:48 AM CST

Harvard Law will accept GRE as entrance exam

Harvard Law School will accept the Graduate Record Examination in lieu of the Law School Admissions Test, starting this fall. The change is part of a strategy to expand law school access domestically and internationally.

Mar 9, 2017 8:35 AM CST

Female First-Chairs: Firm’s founders chip away at male litigation domination

According to a 2015 report by the American Bar Foundation and the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, which sampled 2013 filings in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, women in private practice at large and small law firms accounted for only 16 to 25 percent of first-chair appearances.

Mar 1, 2017 11:37 AM CST

HP general counsel tells law firms to meet diversity mandate or forfeit up to 10% of fees

The general counsel of HP has informed its outside law firms that the company may withhold up to 10 percent of invoiced fees for failure to meet its diversity standards. Kim Rivera informed law firms of her “diversity holdback” mandate in a Feb. 8 letter (PDF), Corporate Counsel (sub. req.)…

Feb 15, 2017 7:00 AM CST

How can lawyers fight implicit bias? (podcast with transcript)

Many of us don’t think of ourselves as biased, and we don’t want to be prejudiced towards others. But we’re also reluctant to acknowledge the ways bias can creep in, according to academics who study implicit bias.

Jan 23, 2017 8:30 AM CST

Asian-Americans are underrepresented in influential legal jobs, study says

Asian-Americans make up more than 5 percent of the U.S. population, and an even greater percentage of law students. They are well-represented among the nation’s lawyers. But they are underrepresented among the top ranks of the legal profession, according to a new study. The study was conducted by Yale Law…

Jan 17, 2017 12:15 PM CST