Partners in study gave legal memo a lower rating when told author wasn’t white

A legal memo drafted with the help of five law firm partners helped a leadership consulting firm demonstrate unconscious biases in the workplace. The experiment was conducted by leadership consulting firm Nextion, according to the Forbes blog She Negotiates. Above the Law commented on the findings. Nextion inserted 22 errors…

Apr 21, 2014 12:09 PM CDT

Former Howard law dean and diversity leader Henry Ramsey dies at 80

Henry Ramsey Jr., a path-breaking lawyer, judge and former dean of Howard University School of Law, died March 14 after suffering a stroke at home in Berkeley, Calif. He was 80 years old. Ramsey’s son, Charles Ramsey, told Diverse Issues in Higher Education that his father became interested in a…

Mar 21, 2014 8:10 PM CDT

President-elect nominee emphasizes membership, collaboration

Paulette Brown acknowledges the symbolic value of her nomination to become the first woman of color to lead the ABA. “Whenever one is the first anything the expectations are a bit different,” Brown said in a speech to the association’s House of Delegates on Monday. The expectations will be high,…

Feb 10, 2014 9:43 PM CST

Asians account for ‘lion’s share’ of increase in minority associates at law firms

The percentage of minority associates in law firms has increased slightly over the last three years, but those numbers don’t tell the whole story. The “lion’s share” of the increase is due to increasing numbers of Asian associates, according to this article in the NALP Bulletin, published by the National…

Jan 30, 2014 2:34 PM CST

All seven new partners at well-known West Coast firm are women

One of the top corporate law firms in Portland, Ore., has just elevated seven associates to its partnership, and all of them are women. They are employment practitioners Mia Butzbaugh and Naomi Levelle Haslitt; intellectual property specialists Chandra Eidt and Elizabeth Milesnick; Jeneé Hilliard, who focuses on real estate and…

Jan 21, 2014 11:55 PM CST

Law lags other professions in minority hiring; which group is ‘most dramatically underrepresented’?

Two studies released on Tuesday and Wednesday show that minorities are making small gains in representation in law firms, but the legal profession trails others in diversity. One of the studies, commissioned by Microsoft, found that 8.4 percent of the nation’s lawyers are African Americans and Hispanics, though those minority…

Dec 11, 2013 2:12 PM CST

Should law firms seek to recruit the economically disadvantaged?

Law firms seek to increase diversity by recruiting women, minorities and gays. Why not expand the definition and recruit lawyers from economically disadvantaged backgrounds? That’s the suggestion from American Lawyer editor in chief Robin Sparkman in a guest blog post at the Careerist. Some institutions are already tackling the problem…

Dec 4, 2013 11:50 AM CST

Sotomayor says judiciary is ‘missing a huge amount of diversity’

Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized the judiciary for a lack of diversity and the legal profession for a glass ceiling when responding to questions at a law school appearance on Tuesday. Sotomayor said the number of minority partners in law firms is “dismally small” while the lack of diversity on the…

Nov 21, 2013 3:27 PM CST

Federal judge’s gender and race requirements for class-action lawyers may merit review, Alito says

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear a challenge to a federal judge’s order that three law firms serving as class counsel staff the case with lawyers whose gender and race reflect the composition of the class. Justice Samuel A. Alito issued a statement supporting the cert denial but…

Nov 18, 2013 5:29 PM CST

Is the ‘art of passing’ necessary for a Chinese American to survive in corporate law?

Chinese-American lawyer Helen Wan says she learned early on that “it was incredibly important to perfect the art of passing” while practicing corporate law. Passing, Wan explains in the Daily Beast, means downplaying or ridding oneself of “minority group” traits to fit in with mainstream corporate culture. Wan says a…

Sep 17, 2013 12:55 PM CDT

Which law firms are best for diversity? Vault releases its rankings

Carlton Fields is the best law firm for its diversity efforts, according to 2014 rankings by Vault.com. The Florida-based law firm was rated best overall for diversity five years in a row, the Careerist reports. It also led separate categories for its diversity efforts in regards to minorities, women, LGBT…

Aug 14, 2013 11:15 AM CDT

Minority women find blocks on the path to the top

Aug 1, 2013 7:00 AM CDT

Gender inequity in pay diminishes women’s prospects—and the law profession

Jun 1, 2013 9:40 AM CDT

Is US suffering from ‘diversity fatigue’? Bar president says country is ‘at a precipice’

In many fields, the percentage of blacks in leadership roles is stalling, raising questions about the private sector’s commitment to affirmative action. John Page, president of the National Bar Association, tells the New York Times that the country is “at a precipice.” Says Page: “There is diversity fatigue. We could…

May 28, 2013 12:51 PM CDT

How Nixon Peabody encourages diversity

Nixon Peabody believes it may be the first BigLaw firm to include an hourly commitment in a diversity initiative. In 2010, the law firm began urging all of its lawyers to give at least 40 hours a year to efforts that encourage diversity, the Washington Post reports. Lawyers document the…

Mar 26, 2013 10:29 AM CDT