Diversity in the legal profession still has a way to go, according to data from a new study.
The percentage of women in the legal profession dropped slightly from 32.4 percent in 2009 to 31.9 percent in 2011, according to data from the Institute for the Inclusion in the Legal Profession (IILP). The percentage of JDs awarded to women was 47.3 percent in 2011.
Minority representation increased from 11.6 percent in 2009 to about 12.7 percent in 2011. The percentage of minorities awarded JDs awarded was 24.2 percent.
“When we look at other professions, we continue to be woefully behind,” said Sandra Yamate, CEO of the IILP. “When we consider the role lawyers are supposed to be playing in society, the fact that [the industry] can’t seem to get over this hurdle is real troublesome.”
Yamate said the overall numbers for diversity inclusion increase slightly each year, but that’s not good enough. The IILP is working toward improving those numbers across the board.
In September, Marc Firestone, chair of the IILP, and Robert Clifford, Illinois State Delegate to the American Bar Association House of Delegates, sent a letter to leaders of the ABA urging them to include diversity and inclusion in the Model Rules of Professional Conduct.
As for advice for recent grads and young attorneys, she encourages them to get involved in bar associations of all types. She said bar associations are just one option where young attorneys can find mentors and interact with their peers.
“I think it’s a resource that too many young and new lawyers don’t really understand and don’t know how to work the bar association,” she said. “I think that’s a tremendous resource for them.”
Many states offer minority-focused bar associations, for example California has 18 bar associations dedicated to a variety of minority groups (all state associations can be viewed at the ABA’s website).
“I think it behooves [young professionals] — especially in this age where there’s so much emphasis on social media — to get out of their shells and go interact with other lawyers,” Yamate said. “They can talk to more seasoned lawyers and find out more about other people’s practice area and experiences.”
Yamate said there are many opportunities for young women and minorities in the profession, they just need to think outside of the box about what they can do with a JD.
“We need to encourage them to look at the law more broadly — to not assume there are only select practice areas that they need to go into,” Yamate said. “There are some practices areas where women and minorities are terribly underrepresented where there could be some tremendous career opportunities, especially with corporations and clients who are interested in greater diversity.”
